Pyro
by freedomintensifies
Summary: Lucy Cooper was just a regular girl when the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. sent her old life into flames. Her new found abilities and drastic lifestyle change sat the teenage girl right across from Nick Fury asking her to join the Avengers' Initiative. Will she join, using her powers for good and become a superhero she read about in the news, or just continue stumbling through life?
1. Chapter 1

Hello, darlings. I have written many stories before and decided to start with a clean slate on this new origin story of my character named Pyro. This story plot is supposed to soon be set during the Age of Ultron era to Civil War, we'll just see how it takes us. I hope you enjoy, I'm really proud of myself on this one, and thanks for reading.

Much love,

freedomintensifies

* * *

 _ **The Fall of S.H.I.E.L.D.**_

 _Black smoke billows from the overhead buildings, pieces still crumbling off, fire set ablaze. I slowly raise my head from the asphalt and take a longer look. There was people everywhere, in panic, screaming. Each of them praying that they weren't the only one that survived this disaster, calling their loved ones, anyone they could get ahold of. I pushed off the pavement and scanned myself over. A few cuts and bruises, but it was nothing compared to the blast. The wave of heat that engulfed me, shot me from high in the sky to the streets of DC. I was practically untouched. I was_ too _alright. I glanced around at all the chaos to see an elderly woman rushing towards me, she had worried eyes and shaking palms._

" _Are you alright?" She stuttered grabbing ahold of my arm and helping me up. I wiped the soot from cheek and smiled._

" _Yeah," I rasped a little disheveled from everything. "Yeah, I'm okay." The woman kept looking at me, checking my arms, my face, my legs, anywhere skin showed. I narrowed my eyes a little, out of all the people running around in disarray, why did she come to me? Why am I so special? I clear my throat and take my hand out of her grasp, "Why do you ask?"_

 _Her kind face twisted into one with worry, worse than before. "Why, dear," she soothed placing a hand onto my cheek, "You were on fire."_

 **One Month Later** …

Ominous POV

Natasha Romanoff thumbed the edge of the manilla folder, glancing over all the details of the girl who sat in the white room. She glanced through the two-way mirror to see the lanky girl draped over the table, lazily lounging in her chair. Natasha cleared her throat before reading off the medical examination to Fury, the now former Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. "Lucy Quinn Cooper, born and raised in Ellicott City, Maryland. Eighteen years old, green eyes, ash brown hair, five foot seven inches." She stopped and skimmed the report, skipping past all the minor detail, "Her parents and little sister were killed in the explosion in the Triskelion, her father was an agent and the family was visiting for the day." Natasha clicked her tongue, "Everyone was killed in the blast except for her."

Fury sat up from where he was leaning and looked at the teenage girl and took a deep breath, "I knew Agent Cooper." He sighed and ran a hand along his face, "He was a good man."

Natasha placed the folder next to her, "A lot of good men died that day, sir." Fury nodded and glanced at the spy. "The thing is," she started, going back to the girl, "she fell from the twentieth floor when the Helicarrier hit the building and she's still alive. Sir, that's impossible."

Fury straightened his posture and went to open the door, they had been occupying an old warehouse building for the time being. Tying off a few loose ends, and Lucy Cooper just happened to be one of them. "There has been a lot of impossible these days," he recounted turning the doorknob to meet the girl in the other room.

Lucy's POV

I yawn and glance back at my watch, it has been three hours since they locked me in this stupid room. I understand they want me to sign a few papers for my dad, but come on. This should not take this long, I just want to wrap this up and leave. Move to another state, country even, as long as I can get away. I tap my fingers onto the sheet metal table, the repetitive noise was calming, familiar. I was so concentrated on the taps that I almost didn't notice the doorknob turn and a tall man with an eyepatch of all things walk into the room.

"Ms. Cooper?" he asked and I shot up. Dad always said bad posture was impolite, it's a habit that I've been trying to ditch for who knows how long. "I'm Nick Fury, your father and I used to work together." I pushed back my chair and stood up, reaching out my hand across the table.

"Nice to meet you," I stuttered, extremely intimidated by the man. He simply shook my hand and nodded before taking the seat across from me and I followed suit. "So I was told I need to sign some paperwork?"

He nodded again, folding his hands onto the table, "Ms. Cooper, have you ever heard of the Avengers' Initiative?" I shake my head, slightly perplexed, what did that have to do with anything. "Your father helped recruit people with extraordinary abilities." He smirked, "The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people, see if they become something more. See if they can work together when we needed them to, To fight the battles that we never could." He leaned back into his chair, "But something tells me you already knew that."

I gulp, I had heard snip-its of the conversations my father had over the phone over the years, but nothing substantial. Did they think I was a security leak? With everything that happened were they worried their secrets would escape? I just kept my head down, not giving him any hint as to what I did or didn't know. "You see," he continued without missing a beat, "these days we're a little short handed on those remarkable people, but it is pretty remarkable that a teenage girl could survive that big of a fall." I look up at him through my lashes, still trying to hide my face in anyway possible. "Isn't it?"

I pushed a stray hair behind my ear and cleared my throat, "Yes," I breathed, trying to not think about that day anymore than I had to. "What does this have to do with the paperwork?"

Fury smiled a little, "I have a feeling you know there wasn't any paperwork." I raised my head, eyes wide, "Do you want to tell me how you survived Ms. Cooper?"

I rocked in my chair for a second, chewing the inside of my cheek. If there was one thing I did, I trusted S.H.I.E.L.D., despite everything that happened there were other people in the organization who shared the same morals as my father, and I knew Fury was one of them. I slowly lifted my hand, pulling the sleeve of my sweater back, "This." I unclenched my fist to reveal the wisps of fire that painted my arm, some were red, others were orange, some even purple. It glowed, I could feel the heat on my cheeks, but I was unfazed. This fire was me. I was making it. I looked to see Fury staring at my hand of pure fire. "This curse or whatever it is saved me, I don't know how, I don't know why, but when I concentrate on it, I can control it." I closed my fist and watched the flames dissipate, "I can even fly, I guess that's what you were asking." I cleared my throat, "I flew out of the building." I lowered my eyes to the table again, "And maybe if I had known before, I could have saved them."

Fury studied my face, "So, pyrotechnic abilities?" I glanced up, a little confused, but I simply nodded. "Gives you the ability of flight, heat generated from your core, manipulating fire, am I missing anything?"

I furrow my eyebrows, "I can sort of shoot fireballs, but I'm still working on it."

Fury nodded and stood up, walking towards the door, but I stayed seated, he was probably going to get the authorities and send me to some weird hospital where they keep all of the other freaks. I should have just kept my trap shut. I lowered my face into my palms and took a long breath, but I was stopped by his authoritative voice, "Are you coming?"


	2. Chapter 2

Hello, darlings. I can't tell you how much I appreciate all of the love, I mean, I just posted last night. This is crazy. Anyway, I left you all on a little bit of a cliff hanger, so I thought I would give you a filler chapter before we meet all of the guys next chapter. I hope you enjoy it, it shows the relationship dynamic between Lucy and Nat, which I find very funny and endearing. Thank you for reading and reviewing!

Much love,

freedomintensifies

* * *

 **Four Months Later…**

"I'm not going in there," I wheezed staring up at the tall building. It had to have been over fifty stories, but even when I lurked at the gum covered streets of New York, I could still perfectly read the sign at the very top. _Avengers._

Nat crossed her arms, glaring at me, "Yes, you are." Natasha and I had been glued at the hip for the past few months when I had been going through a Rookie Power Training Program of sorts. Teaching me things like how not to get your ass kicked in a fight and how to not burn down buildings and all that jazz, but I was just with Natasha. She was my mentor, my friend, I liked the simplicity of everything, our own little bubble, but this. This was a big step.

I scoffed, "I'm not going to live with freaking Iron Man and Captain America, are you kidding me?" I tightened the duffel bag strap onto my shoulder, "They're superheroes."

Natasha just rolled her eyes, "You're overreacting." She stuck out her hip, "You're going to have to work with them one day anyways. Why not now?"

I snorted, cowering a little bit, "I'm not ready."

She raised an eyebrow, "Really?" She sashayed over to me making me curl into myself even more, "Are you insulting my training?"

"No, but -"

She grabbed the sleeve of my sweatshirt and started dragging me to the revolving doors, "No buts, you're going to stop being a coward and go in there, set up your room, and meet everyone."

I halted and glared at her. "I'm not a coward," I growled and she smirked.

She dropped my sleeve and crossed her arms, "So prove it."

"Fine." I stomped over to the doors, swung it open and walked inside, but as soon as I entered that building I completely regretted it. "Holy crap," I mumbled looking around at all of the people busying themselves around the building. People were taking phone calls, working on designs, being important. All of them like a worker bee having their own individual contribution to the hive.

Natasha pushed past my shoulder and started to walk towards a small elevator behind a winding staircase, "You coming?" she called over her shoulder and I jogged to close the gap. My beat up Converse slapping against the black marble floor.

"Where are you going?" I asked glancing at the large glass elevator we already passed. All the honey bees filling in with plenty of room to spare, "There's one right there."

Natasha continued walking towards the smaller elevator not saying a word. She flipped up a latch that revealed a palm scanner right next to the up button. She sighed examining her nails as the thing glowed under the weight of her hand, reading each individual line and print, "Because that's not where we're going." She waited for her ID to pop up onto the screen before pressing the button, "The penthouse is a separate part of Stark Towers."

I nodded my head, feeling extremely out of place. Penthouse? Who lives in penthouses? Rich people. I'm not rich, I honestly thought I was going to live in an old hotel room, and not even to mention my attire. Natasha had her hair pristinely swept to the side, with a clean cut blazer and killer heels. I shifted from one foot to the other, I had on a sweatshirt, messy bun, and leggings. Not really what you would call dress to impress. "Stop fidgeting," she commented while continuing to stare at the closed doors.

"I wasn't-"

She cut me off, "Lucy, you were fidgeting, we discussed this in training. What happens when you fidget?"

I groaned, "The enemy will know I'm nervous and find a weakness."

She smirked at the closed doors, "Exactly."

I silently patterned my fingers onto my thigh waiting for the sliding doors to open, I glanced at the floor number when we still hadn't arrived. It kept going and going until the light dinged to reveal that we were in fact on the forty ninth floor, almost the very top. "We're really high up," I mumbled, feeling a little nervous.

Natasha rolled her eyes as the doors slid open, "Says the girl that can fly."

"That's different," I groaned following her out into the huge living area. All my other reservations disappeared as I looked around at the perfectly furnished room. "Woah," I gasped.

Natasha smirked as she continued to walk up a set of stairs in the corner. "You haven't even seen the half of it." My mouth was hanging wide open as I stared at the white couch, the glass bar with granite countertops, the view. The view made it. It was beautiful from up here. I followed her up the stairs and we walked past countless rooms until we stopped at the very end. "This," she said turning the doorknob, "is your room."

When she opened the door, I almost stopped breathing. It was home. There was pictures of Mom and Dad, pictures of Little Mia. All of them were there, they were with me. I walked over and ran my fingers along the frames and smiled a little. It had been hard, really hard, but they were here now. I continued looking around at all the minor details, the same gorgeous view that was in the living room, the new dresser and mirror, a blanket draped over the edge of the mattress, when my eyes landed on the comforter on the new off white bed, I stopped. It had the same stitching on it that had been added whenever a had torn a new hole in the quilt. The same flower design, the same coffee stain, the same everything, I raised an eyebrow.

"Is this -"

Natasha smiled, "Got it shipped here all the way from Ellicott City, Pepper and I made a stop a few weeks back." I grinned, they really had everything. Even the paint color was right, Cinderella blue. Mom didn't want to know the gender of the baby, so they made a compromise on the wall color. Blue for a boy and Cinderella blue for a girl, guess it's pretty obvious how that turned out.

I walked past the bed and into the small sitting area, a small padded sofa the color of cream, a coffee table that matched the bed and a flat screen that was attached to the wall. There even was a kitchenette that had a small fridge and other bags of snacks.

"No way," I gasped running into the kitchen and snatching a bag off the counter. "You remembered," I sang hugging the bag and sighing.

Natasha rolled her eyes, "You better not eat all of those in one sitting."

I snorted glancing down at the Cool Ranch Doritos, "No guarantees," I giggled. I set the bag down and walked towards the door that was on the other side of the television. I raised my hand and pointed, "What's that?" Natasha nodded as if she was approving my further exploring, and I walked over and opened the door. There was an all white bathroom, white tiling, white walls, white countertops, it was stunning. There was an all glass shower with chrome accents and a touch screen control system. I stood in the doorway gaping at everything.

"Did you find it yet?" Natasha called from the other room.

"Yeah, it's gorgeous," I breathed and I could hear her get up and join me.

"No, you didn't," she laughed. "I can't believe you missed it, I'm almost disappointed."

I gave her a confused look, "Miss what?" She pushed past me and clicked on the touch screen in the corner, scrolling and tapping a few buttons before one of the walls swung open. I peeked inside to see a huge walk in closet packed with clothes, new clothes, in my size. Everything ranging from workout clothes to ball gowns. "H-o-l-y shit," I gasped.

Natasha slapped my arm, "Language," she scolded but I didn't care. I was in an actual heaven.

"Natasha," I breathed when I walked further in to see the shoes, the purses, the sunglasses, even some of my mom's jewelry. I kept scanning the pile to see if they grabbed the silver locket and to my pleasure they did "This is insane." She smirked and ran a hand along the clothes.

"Pepper picked them out, I helped, I got your size from your uniform that we fitted for a while back, which by the way is almost finished, Tony is just making some moderate adjustments." I nodded still trying to concentrate on breathing. She grabbed a pair of dark wash jeans, a light flowy blouse, a deep green scarf and some nude flats. "Here," she said throwing the pile at me. "Shower, get dressed, make up and hair stuff are in the drawers and meet me outside, okay?" I nodded, silently taking the pile.

She walked out of the door, but stopped when I called her. "Natasha?" I turned to face the redhead. "Thank you. For everything." She nodded and walked out of the room and I waited to listen to the door click shut before screaming. "Oh my god!" I yelped looking at the room again, my heart was pounding out of my chest and I felt like I couldn't breathe. "Oh my god," I whispered. I smiled so wide that I thought my lips would rip, "I can do this. Definitely."

Little did I know, Natasha had heard the whole thing and was smiling outside of my door. Pepper walked up behind her placing a hand on her shoulder, "Do you think she'll be alright here?" She asked, slightly concerned about the giant leap for the teen.

Natasha smirked and looked up at the strawberry blonde, "Oh, yeah. She'll fit in just fine."


	3. Chapter 3

Hello, darlings. Ready to meet the crew? Because I am. I was in a really good mood this weekend and decided to give you another post. I hope you all enjoy, it's mostly light-hearted with a few sentimental moments. Usual Lucy. Hope you all enjoy and thanks for reading and reviewing!

Much love,

freedomintensifies

* * *

I smoothed the blouse down over my jeans, the soft chiffon fabric tickling my fingers as I ran them down. I took another long look at myself in the mirror and sighed before adjusting the scarf. Something just seemed off. It wasn't the high ponytail or the winged eyeliner or the professional shoes. Something was _missing_. I switched off the light and made my trek back towards the closet where I scanned all the many shelves of wondrous items when a slight glint caught the corner of my eye. I slowly approached the vanity when it finally clicked. I was missing her. I snatched the delicate chain off the hook and cradled the pendant in my palm. She wasn't wearing it that day, the one day she left the house and forgot it.

I turned over the small locket to run my thumb over the worn rose design, with the back engraved with three simple numbers. _143._ "I love you," I whispered before unlocking it to see a picture of my sister and I when we were barely one. I could still hear her motherly voice reminding me every time I asked about the necklace when I was little. " _143, means I love you. I is one, l-o-v-e is four, and y-o-u is three. It's our own special code."_ I hummed while clasping it around my neck and tucking it under my shirt. I took one final glance, "If only you could see me now," I sighed, walking out of the room and towards the front door.

"Here goes nothing." I swung open the door imagining some big entrance, only to be met with a wall. Everyone was apparently in the living room, and I huffed continuing my walk down when the once distant conversation seemed to become a little bit clearer.

" _Are you sure this kid is ready for the real world? I mean, you've only been training her for what? Four months? A mission wasn't even plausible when I was that new."_

I scoffed, "Kid?" I whispered, stalling near the corner. "I'm eighteen." I peeked my head out to see a man with crew cut sandy hair and a very sarcastic expression on his face. Natasha was across from him, a little defensive.

"She's gonna be good, Clint. I trained her. She'll be fine," she smirked in a monotone voice.

The man just bowed his head and rubbed the back of his neck, "I know, but this isn't her battle."

Natasha sighed and glanced up to see me trying to stay hidden behind the corner, "Lucy," she called and I slowly walked out to see the entirety of the group. Natasha had given me the gist of who everyone was a while back. Goldilocks was Thor, Nerdy Science Guy was Banner or the Hulk, Clint was Hawkeye, Tony Stark, well everyone knows who Tony Stark is, the pretty, tall woman I assume is the mysterious Pepper Potts who now runs Stark Industries, and the man who was wearing a shirt that looked a few sizes too small was most likely Captain America. "Hi," I mumbled awkwardly raising a hand as I walked down the stairs.

Pepper was the first one to greet me, "Hi," she said rushing towards me, elegantly gliding in her easily six inch heels. "I'm Pepper."

I smiled putting out my hand for her to shake, but she pulled me into a tight hug. "Oof," I gasped as she squeezed me tighter. I awkwardly patted her back, "Nice to meet you."

She pulled away holding me at arm's length, "Oh, I've heard so much about you that I forget that we have never officially met. Are you enjoying your stay so far? Did you like your room?" The woman was talking so fast that I never got the chance to respond, "Because if you don't we can always call the decorators to change it, I just thought you might appreciate something familiar-"

Tony took a sip of his drink, waving off his girlfriend, "Pep, give her a chance to talk."

Pepper just grinned at me, "Oh, right, sorry."

I laughed at her enthusiasm, it was quite refreshing. "The room is perfect. Thanks for letting me stay here." I glanced at her and then at Tony and he gave me a curt nod.

Pepper smiled, pulling her arms back to her sides, "It's our pleasure." She side stepped, allowing the infamous Clint to step forward.

He stuck out his hand, "Clint." Short and sweet, no explanation needed.

I grabbed his hand giving it a firm shake, "Lucy." I let go and gave him a hard glare, "You do know that I am a legal adult, right?"

He shrugged, "In my book, you're not an adult until you get a drink at a bar."

I smirk, crossing my arms, "What makes you think I haven't?"

He nods approvingly, "Touché." He placed a hand on my shoulder and turned to face Nat, pointing at me, "I like her."

Natasha smiled, her voice laced with pride, "Told you, you would."

I glanced around the room, my gaze landing on Doctor Banner. He was quietly and calmly minding his own business, but when he saw me, he raised his hand to give me a small wave. I returned it immediately, a small but sentimental greeting.

I was so caught up in the gesture, I almost didn't notice the giant god walking towards me, "Lady Lucy," he boomed reaching for my hand and bestowing a kiss. "I look forward to battling the wretched Hydra with you in order to receive my brother's scepter that they have taken."

My cheeks went bright red when he kissed my hand, and I didn't hear a word after 'Lady Lucy,' so I stuttered out something like, "Yeah, sounds awesome." His chuckle enveloped the room and I gave him an embarrassed grin.

"You humans are so funny and," he glanced me up and down before frowning, "tiny."

I still continued smiling and nodding when I heard Tony from across the room, "Sparky, shut your mouth, you're beginning to drool." Tony and I had met a few weeks prior to design the whole 'super suit' aspect of everything. He measured how high my core temp could get, how much range of motion I needed, what weapons I wanted to carry, the usual. Anyway, we both became very familiar with each other over the course of a few days and fairly quickly picked up a playful banter of sorts.

"Can it, Stark," I scoffed crossing my arms. He chuckled, returning to nursing his drink. I looked around the room, that was everyone I needed to be introduced to except one… I saw the quiet super soldier leaning over the banister on the balcony, and when normal conversation picked up again, I snuck out to introduce myself.

I went and leaned on the sill next to him, if he noticed me he didn't say anything. "I think this is going to be my favorite part," I whispered looking out at the twinkling lights. The sunset on the west horizon. The sky painted with blues and purples and oranges, and it would only look this beautiful once, and I was lucky enough to see it.

He shifted slightly and I glanced at his profile. His eyebrows were furrowed and his jaw was clenched, but despite the stress clearly written on his face, he was quite handsome. When he first spoke, it was low and serious, causing me to jump, "This job." He turned to look at me and I shrank under his gaze, but I didn't cower, "You try to save as many people as you can." I nodded, a little confused, "Sometimes, that doesn't mean everybody." I gulped, realizing why he was so reserved, he felt guilty. "I'm so sorry that meant your family."

I pushed a stray hair behind my ear, "He wouldn't like that." He raised an eyebrow, "I remember that day, a little more than I would like, but we heard your speech, and he looked me in the eyes and said, 'Lucy, grab your sister and hide in the closet," I smiled a little bit, "'because I have a job to do.'"

I turned completely towards him and crossed my arms, "So you apologizing to me, he would have hated it because you were doing your job. You couldn't have saved them, I couldn't have, no one could. You did the right thing, and I know what you're doing now, taking down Hydra, we can't give up. We can't give up because that would make their sacrifice meaningless."

He smiled, "Clint was wrong about you, you're wise beyond your years."

I smirk, "I like to lead people to believe so anyways." I stuck out my hand and in my fakest authoritative voice belt, "Lucy Cooper, I look forward to working with you, sir."

He shook it, returning the gesture, "Steve Rogers, and it's an honor to add you to the team, ma'am."


	4. Chapter 4

Hey, darlings. Hope you guys are doing well, I got a fun chapter for you! A funny intro to Lucy actually being Pyro, I hope you all enjoy! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing!

Much love,

freedomintensifies

* * *

 **One month later...**

"So am I supposed to do something?" I call to the coms in the ceiling. I was starting my first uniform test today, which meant sealing me into a steel block that has one viewing window and a lot of fire extinguishers.

Tony clicked through, "Just do whatever feels natural."

I snorted, "If you say so." I looked down at my coal black, extremely tight attire. It was, what you might call, badass, at least in my opinion. There were wicked red stripes that went down the hems that shimmer orange whenever the light hits it just right, and a collar that scrapes the bottom of my jaw, but thankfully there is a zipper, so I can breathe, and not to mention the designs. Ah, the designs, I had the Avengers' symbol on one shoulder, which I was extremely proud of because it reminded me of all the hard work it took to get here, and a small flame on the other. Tony said that's supposed to distinguish if I am able to 'flame on' or not. For example, my normal clothes are not acceptable for firebending, but my uniform and 'underwear,' a pair of black spandex shorts and a red tank top, are. This is annoying because I always have to keep the shirt and shorts under my everyday clothing just incase I light up. But on the bright side, on my suit there's a compartment on the belt loop that I can store snacks in! Natasha says it's meant for weapons, but I feel like that's just a suggestion.

I toe my black zip-up boot into the gravel while shaking out my hands, "Whatever feels natural," I repeat getting a mischievous grin on my face.

"Natural, not stupid," Stark chimes in. "Remember, we're renting."

I groan, "Ah, that's no fun." I purse my lips and tap my chin, "Well, what if I just -"

"No," Stark says in a bored voice.

"But -"

No."

"Please -"

The next thing I hear is a struggle over who has possession of the microphone before Natasha starts yelling at me, "Lucy Quinn, so help me if you don't stop playing around, I will come down there and light you on fire myself."

I gulp, "Got it." I look at the team through the window, "But just to be clear no -"

"Lucy!" She scolds.

I hold my hands up in mock surrender, "Okay. Okay, I was just asking."

I drop my head and wiggle my fingers, the surge of heat already coursing through my veins. If I were to say I get a rush every time I firebend, that would be an extreme understatement. It's… amazing. You know that feeling when you drink hot chocolate on a cold night, and you can feel it's warmth spreading within you, and it is kind of weird, but it makes you feel at peace and fuzzy inside? That's it, that's the feeling, and sometimes, I almost crave it.

I take a running start before jumping up, and my whole body engulfs in flames. A normal civilian would be extremely concerned right now, but I am not normal at all, I don't know if that's a good thing or not though. I fly up and hover in front of the window for a while before giving them a cheeky grin, not that they could really see it right now anyways. "Does my hair look okay?" I tease and Natasha rolls her eyes, crossing her arms.

"How do you feel?" Tony asked while scribbling notes down on his tablet.

"Good?" I shrug my shoulders. "I mean it's definitely better than the last one," I do a flip in midair, "and it's a lot easier to move in."

Steve pointed to the targets on the other side of the work spot, "Do the exercises we practiced earlier." The past month, it has been a group effort from the team to try and make me not suck. Clint taught me weapons, Steve and Natasha taught me more combat, Tony showed me how the suit worked, and Thor chilled in Asgard waiting for us to give him the go ahead. A lot of training, a lot of hard work, but a lot of _fun._

I fly over to where Clint set up the bullseyes earlier that day, I was supposed to shoot five fireballs and hit each of the targets in the red area. It was definitely a lot easier with a bow and arrow than using your own freaking body heat, but when I said this, he just told me to shut up.

I pulled my arms back and flung them forward, using all my strength to shoot them consecutively. One, two, three, four, five little balls of fire shot from my fingertips and onto the painted piece of wood, but only three out of the five shots actually hit the targets, which wasn't terrible odds. It was just the fact that DumbE, the robot that Tony insists on following me everywhere, was having a panic attack trying to put out all of the fire from the two I had missed.

I landed, turning back to my normal state, and gave them all a halfhearted thumbs up, a little disappointed that I missed two of them. Tony just kept scribbling, Natasha was raising a perfectly arched eyebrow, and Steve was just smirking at me. I slowly put my hand down and walked over to the rack of guns and picked one up, "I think I did pretty good, at least _okay_ ," I scoffed at all of the disappointed looks that made me feel even worse.

"Luce -" Steve started looking a bit concerned.

"I did! I mean I may not be perfect, but it was pretty close! I'm still learning all of -" I gestured down to my whole body, "this."

"Lucy -" Steve continued.

"Seriously, I'll get better, I'll be ready for missions just give me a few weeks -"

"Cooper!" Steve shouted and I jumped back slightly, he pointed at something on my side, "Look. At. Your. Hand."

I glanced down at the gun I was holding to see it not only melting into my palm but on fire, "Shoot!" I yelped trying to stamp out the flame. I frantically tried to find something to smother it with, but DumbE beat me to the punch. The stupid robot hosed me down in sticky white foam, covering both the gun, me, and my shiny new uniform, but ultimately putting out the small fire. I spit some of the bubbles out of mouth. "Seriously?" I growled at the piece of metal and he cowered to the corner, but for good measure sprayed me one more time. Tony's new version of a fire extinguisher was not the most ideal, especially when you're a hothead like me.

"I think that's a wrap for today," Tony laughed and I scowled at all of them.

"It's not funny."

Natasha's lips turned up into a coy smile, "It's a little funny."

Barton cackled, "It's _really_ funny." He reached into his back pocket, grabbed his phone, and snapped a quick picture as I whimpered, wiping the foam from my face.

After an intense training session, we all went to McDonald's for a late dinner. "Question," I say through a mouthful of my burger. I swallow and glance around the table, it was just Steve, Tony, and Nat. We all had decided to get a bite to eat on the way home, and it was my night to pick, so that meant fast food. "What's my name?"

"Lucy…" Tony said cautiously giving me a funny look, "Did Sparky hit her head a little too hard?"

I roll my eyes, "No, I know _my_ name, I meant my _superhero_ name." I shrugged my shoulders, "I mean you're," I lowered my voice, "Iron Man, and you're Black Widow, and you're, well, Captain America." I took a sip of my soda, "Who am I?"

Natasha raised an eyebrow, "Do you want a name?"

I nodded my head, "Well, _yeah_."

Steve glanced in my direction, "They're just code names, nothing special."

I scoffed, "Are you kidding me? Those 'code names' are painted on every building in New York, you guys are legends."

Tony snorted, "To be fair, that was already happening _before_ I became Iron Man."

I giggled, "Well, we can't all be you, now can we?" I took a bite out of my fry and leaned forward, "Seriously, though, I want a name. A cool name that maybe one day will be next to yours on all of the graffiti painted fanart." I shrug, "I want to be remembered."

Steve leaned back and crossed his arms, "You know, this job isn't about the fame, it's about keeping innocent people safe."

I furrow my eyebrows, "Pfft, I know that. I'm just saying, it would be pretty cool."

"Well," Natasha smirked, "The Human Torch is already taken."

I groan, "That cocky, attention seeking whore from The Fantastic Four?" I take another sip of my soda, "Wasn't planning on using that name anyways."

Tony started listing off names from the top of his head, "Sparky?"

"No."

"Hot Head?"

"No."

"Lucy?"

I laugh, "No."

Steve was concentrating really hard on something behind me, but all of a sudden it looked like a lightbulb went off. "What about Pyro?"

I smiled widely, _It was perfect._ Tony smirked at my devilish grin, "It's very fitting beings that you look insane right now."

Natasha leaned forward and grabbed my chin, rotating my face so she could see it clearer, "Have her eyes always done that?"

"Done what?" I asked, slightly concerned.

"They're orange," she mumbles.

I push her hand off my face, "No, they're green."

"Orange."

Steve stares at me for a second, "I think it happens when she gets excited, it happened last week when we got pizza, but I just thought it was a reflection."

"No way," I laugh and pull out my phone to look at my reflection, "Oh."

Tony took another bite, "Better keep that under control, Pyro. People will start talking."

I giggle, "I don't think I can control it, but I'll try." I hold my phone up right next to my eye and let out a giddy noise, "Guys, I look insane."

"Nothing new," Natasha chided. When I glared at her, my mood changed, and my once fiery eyes went back to their normal hunter green. I guess, it's only when my emotions are extreme, hence them changing when I ate pizza.

Everyone goes back to their eating and I smile down at my tray, " _Pyro,"_ I whisper."Pyro." I like the sound of that.


	5. Chapter 5

Hey, darlings! Starting Age of Ultron! Eek! Exciting! I hope you all enjoy, and thanks for reading and reviewing!

Much love,

freedomintensifies

* * *

"Shit!"

"Language," Cap called on the coms. My eyes rolled on their own, there was no need to tell them, they knew. Seriously, I love the guy, but he has been out of the ice for what? Four years now? And he still is a giant stick in the mud. Come on, Steven. Get with the culture, obviously if Stark screams out "shit" on the coms something went wrong, we should not reprimand him on his vulgar choice of words.

It had been almost seven months of being cramped in Quinjets and dank motel rooms in search for the stupid magic wand, and we were finally close, so close I could almost taste it. We had gotten a lead a week ago about human experimental testing in a random country in the middle of nowhere, which obviously meant one thing. Hydra. Anyways, we all rushed here as soon as we could, and honestly, I just want to get the thing and go home, maybe take a nap. With Stark's continuous snappy comments to Steve and Thor's ignorance about anything current, I needed a break. Like I said, I love them, but we were all on each other's nerves. I guess, taking down Hydra down one base at a time can do that to a super hero squad.

I was covering Natasha and Clint as they drove into the base, and that meant throwing fireballs at trucks as they tried firing at us. It was quite fun, one of the perks of my job that nobody pays me for, but oh well. "Jarvis, what's the view from upstairs?" Steve grunted as he passed me on his bike. Oh, right? Do you guys know about him? Jarvis? He's super chill, and also, a computer program, but really cool. We play on Saturday nights, he's a great pal.

"The central building is protected by some kind of energy shield. Strucker's technology is well beyond any other Hydra base we've taken," Jarvis informed.

I groaned, flying over a truck and grabbing two guys by their jackets and throwing them off. "Oh, fun," I quirked, lading on the contraption and figuring out how to aim it at oncoming traffic. I flipped a switch and two missiles flew out bombing four cars. "Really fun," I giggled. I grabbed the steering wheel, with my new fingerless gloves, a modification to the uniform, and swerved in order to follow close behind Natasha.

"Loki's scepter must be here. Strucker couldn't mount this defense without it," Thor boomed.

I steered the truck towards Natasha just as she flipped two guys simultaneously and placed it into park before flying over to join her.

"'At long last' is lasting a little long boys," she smirked into the coms and shooting the soldier that had tried to creep up behind me. I gave her a weak smile before whizzing away to another part of the area, obviously she had it covered.

"Don't forget Little Coop," Clint mused and I could hear the whip of the bow and a faint explosion. "Yeah. I think we lost the element of surprise."

"Wait a second. No one else is gonna deal with the fact that Cap just said 'language'?" Stark chirped in a very judgemental tone.

I blasted a truck with a fireball as I zoomed by overhead. "At least he didn't say fuck," I mumbled to myself, but evidently not as quietly as I had hoped.

"Lucy!" Natasha screamed in my ear, and I winced at the piercing noise.

"Way to go, Sparky," Stark snorted and I internally groaned at the thought of the lecture I would hear later on from my loving mentor. Natasha was definitely proud of me in the combat sense, but not so much in the sense that I could never shut up.

"I know." Steve seemed to miss our entire banter and continue to only worry about his slip up, "It just slipped out," he groaned.

I laughed, but this time instead of saying something, I remained quiet, I didn't need to get myself into any more trouble than I was already in. I landed and flipped off the switch that allowed for me to say anything to the team, I could hear them go on about how now the city is taking fire on us and yada, yada, yada, but they couldn't hear me. I crunched my way through the snow, enjoying the sizzling noise that it made under my boots, when I noticed a blue wisp fly past me. I instinctively lit up and continued walking through the trees, nobody seemed to be around, we already cleared this part of the forest.

I sweeped past me again except this time it slammed me into a tree from the force of the wind. "What is going on?" I grunted as I pushed off and began to look around more frantically. The third time it passed me, and I could finally make something out, a face. It dawned on me, "Enhanced in the field," I hissed into the coms, but nobody responded because nobody could hear me. "Darn it." I quickly powered down and flipped the switch on the piece, but it was too late for back up. He heard me. "Enhanced in the field," I yelled this time as I orbed a fireball in my palm. "Come get me," I whispered to the empty air around me.

The blue streak began to circle me, at first it was testing the waters, but then it came closer and closer. I kept trying to hit it, but each lap, the streak began to get faster. So fast that I didn't know where exactly he was, he was just a blur. "Guys," I croaked when the circles became more rapid and I finally realized what he was doing. "I need help."

In science class, you learn some things. Like, for one, flames consist primarily of carbon dioxide, water vapor, oxygen and nitrogen. All of these are different elements and when combined create a chemical reaction that we call a flame. This flame is powered by fuel and oxygen. I'm the fuel, and he's taking away my oxygen.

The first thing to go was the fire, the flames dissipated leaving me to bare the cold without their heat. The next to go was my voice, when I tried to call on the coms again, there was no oxygen for me to use or my vocal cords to work, so I was just making pathetic gasping noises. Urgent noises, I can't breathe. I fell to my knees, and began clawing at my throat hoping that somehow in someway it would allow me to have normal breaths. I fell to all fours next, it felt like I was dying. I wasn't choking or drowning or anything, there was nothing in my lungs and that was the problem. The vacuum continued to suck away and I curled into myself staring at the canopy treetops overhead. This was it. The last thing I was going to see was the sky, the cloudy, pale sky. At least no matter where I am, that sky would be the same. I tried to imagine myself at home, my real home, with Mom and Dad cooking dinner on the grill while Mia and I gazed up at the stars. That wouldn't be such a bad way to go, at least I could see them again. I had given up enough, maybe I should do one thing for myself. Let go. My vision began to go black around the edges and my eyes began to flutter shut. I'll see you soon, Mom. I was shook to my senses when I heard the familiar whiz of a shield and a loud crack as the man clad in his red, white, and blue ensemble swooped in and scared my mystery murderer away.

The oxygen barrier finally broke, and I gulped in the precious air, sweet sweet air and tried to put the idea aside that I had almost given up on everything. I was still gasping when Steve came over to me. I gave him a small, grateful smile, before pushing myself into a sitting position and leaning over my knees.

"You good?" He asked patting my back as I continued to wheeze. I gave him a thumbs up and he laughed. "Do you want to go back to the Quinjet?"  
I shook my head and shakily stood up with his help, "I'm fine," I croaked, but my words felt like sandpaper.

Steve gave me a sad smile, "You sure? We need someone to look after Barton."

I raised an eyebrow, "What happened to Bird Brains?"

"Got hit."

"What?" I gasped, feeling a little guilty about my name for him.

"He's fine," Steve assured me. "Just need someone to watch the heart monitor, that's all."

I nodded, "Okay, I'll go," I began to try and firebend, but my senses were still a little shot. "I think I'm just going to walk," I sighed.

Steve chuckled, "I think that's best, I'll see you in a bit." I nodded and he ran in the opposite direction as I made the long trek back to where we landed.

Some time had passed when I heard Natasha and Steve arguing about something, "She'll be fine, it's just water." I remember walking back and seeing Clint and sitting down and getting really tired, but that was it. It all came rushing back when a bottle of freezing cold water was dumped on my face. I had fallen asleep.

I came up coughing and gasping for air, all of a sudden wide awake with a killer headache. "I hate you," I grumbled, glaring at Nat, before I placed my head in between my knees. I squeezed my eyes shut. "That was mean."

"Yeah, well, maybe next time I'll let you sleep if you don't blurt out the F-word over the coms," she nagged while patting me on the back. "Up," she commanded, and I grudgingly sat up in the uncomfortable chair, noticing everyone was already onboard and Bruce was de-Hulked.

"How long was I out?"

"A few hours," she said while handing me a bottle of water to actually drink, which I happily accepted.

"Did we get the scepter?" We have been after Loki's scepter for months now. All of us were beaten and tired, but the positive side was we had taken out multiple Hydra bases and were making sure that once we cut off the head, it stayed off. "And did anybody see what that thing that tried to kill me was?"

Steve frowned, "Not a what, but a who. There were two enhanced working for Hydra." He walked over and sat next to me, "The one you encountered was a male with super speed. As for Loki's scepter, we got it."

A large grin spread on my face, this was it! I could sleep now! Yay! Sleep! My eyebrows furrowed remembering what Steve had said, "Enhanced like me?"

Bruce spoke up, he was still a little shaken up over the Code Green, "We believe that these enhanced were being experimented on, when your gift is from an accident." This time I turned green. Hydra was experimenting on people? That's, that's inhumane.

"But we completed the mission, right? That's a positive." Steve and Natasha both shared a concerned glance, but both put on a fake smile.

"Yep," was all they said before going about doing meaningless tasks on the plane.

I was just about to question them, when I felt the plane land. Tony's technology was always mind blowing, but the fact that we could have lunch in Paris and fly fast enough to eat dinner in the tower never ceased to amaze me. We couldn't have been flying that long, I had just passed out in Sokovia, and now we were home. Incredible.

Helen's medical team swarmed in to, I assume, get Clint. I jumped off onto the landing deck, immediately regretting my decision due to the nauseous feeling in my stomach, I bit back the bile rising in my throat and muttered something along the lines of, "Um, I'm going to go change." I turned and jogged to my room before anyone could respond. I decided a long shower was needed, I still felt shaken up from the whole, 'You may be enhanced, but this guy can kill you just by running in a circle around you.' Chills ran down my spine, I almost died and I didn't fight it. I shook the thought off, I'm fine now, everyone is fine, everything is fine, except maybe Clint. I quickly jumped out of the shower, remembering I should probably check on Tweety Bird.

One nice thing about becoming a human torch, is that you never have to dry off. The water, literally, evaporates off of you. So in two seconds, I'm dry. I put on sweatpants and an oversized hoodie before sliding on my fur boots. Yes, I know it is like May and I know it is really warm out, but Stark Tower is freaking cold, and I am too tired to look nice. I threw my hair up in a messy bun, before running out the door.

I walked into the lab to hear Helen Cho ask, "Will Thor be there?" Got to work on some subtlety, honey. I assumed they were discussing the attendance to the party. The number one happening at Stark Towers ever, at least in my opinion.

"Yeah, he told me he was coming," I smirked before sitting next to Barton, "Wow, you look awful."

"Aw, you always know how to warm my heart," he said batting his eyelashes at me, making me giggle. "Burn down any buildings lately?"

"Hardee har har," I rolled my eyes. "That was only one time." Clint laughed and instantly winced. I started to examine the extent of his injuries. It looked like his whole side had been burned, but the Cradle was replacing the scarred tissue at what looked like lightning speed. Clint would be healed in no time, but it still didn't help the pain he currently was in. The thing really is amazing though, I bet Bruce geeked out about that earlier.

I looked over at Tony, who was looking over some of the intel we recovered at the Hydra base. "So," I said speaking to no one in particular, "what's next on the agenda?"

Tony looked up from his tablet and flashed me a mischievous grin, "The party."


	6. Chapter 6

Hello, again! Here's the party scene, I'm still not sure if I like it or not, I loved the scene in the movie, and I tried really hard not to disappoint. Sorry if I did, I kept rewriting it and I got frustrated and posted the final draft. Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading and reviewing!

Much love,

freedomintensifies

* * *

"Hold still!"

"How can I hold still if you're jabbing a pencil in my eye?!" Natasha was attempting to do my makeup for the party, let's just say it's not going so well.

"Look up," I did as she said for fear that I may lose an eye if I kept disobeying her. "So are you excited for tonight?"

I stared at the new picture hanging on the wall in my room. It was a group photo. Pepper begged us to take it, she said she wanted one to hang on the mantle. Apparently, we were supposed to straight face the picture and look serious, but I didn't hear that part. So while the whole team looks professional, I look like a grinning idiot. 'Well, at least it's accurate,' Clint mocked, and I couldn't help but smile at the memory, "Yeah, it will be fun to see everyone relaxed for once. I'm especially excited because Thor said I can try some of his Asgardian booze." Natasha gave me an inquisit look. "What?" I said innocently, "I'm legal in international waters."

"Being that you will not be using your sealegs tonight, there will be no drinking. Go get dressed and then I'll fix your hair."

"Fine," I drawled out as I got down from the bar stool. We had to improvise in where to set up beings that we would be standing on top of each other if we were in the bathroom, so kitchen it was. I walked over to the closet and flipped on the light. There was this one dress I had been saving for a special occasion. It was a three quarter sleeved red dress that was tight fitted up top, but flared out at the bottom before cutting off above my knees. It was delicate and conservative, but also bright and well, I looked hot in it. My favorite part was the back of the dress was scalloped at the top. Nothing too revealing, but something a typical nineteen-year-old may wear. I quickly slid it over my tank top and shorts, grabbed my Mom's necklace, which Tony had coated in multiple layers of fireproof technology so it wouldn't melt on my person, and fastened it, and slipped on a pair of nude pumps before walking out.

"Well, don't you look pretty," Natasha smiled.

"Not so bad yourself," I chided. Natasha always looked beautiful. Her dark red hair was swept up to the side, and she was wearing a gorgeous cocktail dress which fit her curves perfectly. I was so jealous of her, she is the definition of 'Darling, I'm a nightmare dressed like a daydream,' to quote TSwift.

"Come here and let me fix your hair before we head down," she ushered. I walked back to my spot, so Natasha could put my hair into soft curls that fell down my back. My makeup was simple, light shimmer eyeshadow with eyeliner and lipgloss. Normally, I would do black eyeliner, but Natasha made the executive decision to go with gold making my once dark green eyes were now a warm shade of hazel with gold flecks. "All done," she grabbed my hand and yanked me up, "Come on, we're late, too late." To translate, we wanted to be fashionably late, but it was now a half hour into the party, and Stark would notice we were missing soon, and let's just say the last time we were this late to a social event, it wasn't pretty.

Once we were down stairs, Nat and I split up. She went to the bar to fix herself something to drink while I wandered for a bit trying to find a familiar face until I finally spotted Steve and Sam playing pool. I skipped over, I know real sophisticated, and gushed, "Aren't you two handsome."

Sam smiled, "Hey Lucy." He made his way around the table and gave me a big hug.

"Hi Sam, how've you been?" I've met Sam a couple of times, he stops by the Tower every so often, and we talk for a bit. I've recently discovered that he is a grief counselor in a sense, which explains why he asks me how everything 'makes me feel.' They're trying to make sure I haven't lost it yet.

"Can't complain, been busy running this man's arens," he joked. I turned to see Steve, he was grinning at Sam. "The whole superhero thing is for you guys. I am fine chasing cold leads." Sam put his hands up in mock surrender.

Steve shook his head and glanced in my direction, "Someone looks like a real dame. Very nice, Lucy."

"Well, I had to look nice for Sam," I joked, but I could feel the blush creeping up onto my cheeks. "I am going to go grab something to eat, do y'all want anything?"

"No, we're good, thanks," Sam said before they turned back to continue their game of pool. I made my retreat towards the food bar to pick up a few snacks and made my way onto the balcony. I walked to the edge and leaned against the railing. The city was breathtaking at night, all the lights twinkled in the dark sky. I was soaking in the moment and enjoying some shrimp when I heard footsteps behind.

"Someone is being antisocial," came the arrogant voice I knew and loved.

"That's what happens when you invite an introvert to a party," I countered.

Tony settled next to me and took a long swig from his glass, "I didn't know introverts could throw fire."

I rolled my eyes, "Please, the only social interaction I have on a day to day basis is maybe the six of you and Hill, and we are together all the time. Plus, the only time we do go out is when there is a Hydra lead, so, yes, I would say I am an introvert."

He sighed before looking down at his glass, "So I need to ask your opinion on something."

"Yes?" _Please be about marrying Pepper. Please let me pick out the ring._

"We have a bet going that says Thor's hammer can be picked up if the person is strong enough and has nothing to do with the worthy crap. Thoughts?"

"Here I thought we were going to have a serious conversation," I scoffed.

"Do you even know me?"

"True. Well, I believe you have to be strong and have blonde hair."

"Interesting theory. Do you think I could pick it up?"

I laughed and then couldn't stop laughing, "N-no-no." I walked away from Tony, back into the party with tears streaming down my face. Did he really believe he could pick it up? I mean I know I can't pick it up, and I'm stronger than Tony.

I made my way towards the familiar blonde and noticed his Rapunzel hair was swept up in a pony tail. Thor almost never had his hair up.

"I just don't know how you do it. Honestly, it is really inspirational."

"Do what?" Thor looked down at me with slight confusion on his face.

"Fight with your hair down!" I exclaimed. "It's like this hidden talent you and Nat have. I can't stand having my hair down, it always gets into my face."

"Ah, well, mighty warriors always wear their hair down," he joked.

"It must have to do with the whole 'self control' thing," I chided making quotation marks around my words. His laugh erupted and boomed throughout the room.

I patted his arm and continued my exploration, weaving in and out of the crowd before taking a seat on the sofa next to an elderly gentleman with a World War II hat on. "Hi," I greeted while smoothing my fingers along the hem of my dress. He nodded, smiling at me causing his white mustache to turn up at the corners. We sat in silence for a while longer, and suddenly a familiarity washed over me. "I'm sorry," I started. "Have we met before?"

He grinned again, pushing up his wide rimmed glasses, "Sorry, sweetheart, don't believe we have."

I tapped my foot, "Really? I could have sworn -," I shrugged, maybe I was wrong. "Well, I'm Lucy by the way."

He pulled down his glasses, so I could see his face better. "Stan. Stan Lee," and then he winked. He pushed his glasses up onto the bridge of his nose, "You're a lot more sarcastic than I remember."

"I'm not sarcastic - wait, I thought you said we've never met," I questioned and he shrugged, standing up.

"Maybe not in this life, Pyro, but in another," he walked away, vanishing into the crowd and leaving me speechless.

"What is going on?" I whispered, running a hand down my cheek. "I'm so confused."

I sat there for a while more when the band started to play a slow song and everyone was getting their partners. Cho and Thor. Nat and Bruce. Tony and Hill. All friends enjoying the night. I was content just watching in the corner when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to see Clint standing there with a goofy grin on his face, "May I have this dance?"

"Why of course, Clint," I chuckled and took his hand to lead me onto the dance floor.

He placed one hand on my back while continuing to hold my hand with his other. We swayed silently to the music before he spoke up, "Having fun?"

"Yeah," I crinkled my nose a little, "Did you see that old guy with the funky glasses?"

"What old guy?" He laughed. "If you're talking about Stark, he always wears those sunglasses -"

"No," I laughed. "Not Tony, there was an old guy that goes by the name of Stan Lee, he knew my name."

Clint raised an eyebrow, "Well, Lucy isn't that special of a name."

I rolled my eyes, "Not Lucy, _Pyro._ "

"Really?"

"Yeah! Isn't that weird?"

"A little bit."

I shrugged my shoulders as we continued to sway, "It was just some old man, I'm sure it's nothing." We continued to silently twirl around the dance floor, when someone tapped Clint's shoulder.

"May I cut in?" Steve asked. I was somewhat relieved that Steve showed up, I could hear the gears turning in Clint's head trying to process what I just told him, he hated mysteries, but I just brushed it off. What? Was this guy controlling our lives and was every action we do is planned accordingly and none of our decisions are our own original idea? No, that's insane, one person cannot hoard that much power. He's just an innocent man who somehow knows my name and is chilling at Stark Tower, that's all.

I glanced at Clint, "Talk later?" I left his grasp and went into Steve's. Clint gave a nod and smile before walking away. "What's up, Capsicle?"

"Capsicle? Really?"

"Well, it is fitting. You're wearing blue for God's sake!" He looked down at his shirt to see the blue button up that had the sleeves rolled up.

"So I can't wear blue without being harassed now?" he countered.

"You always wear blue. Why not wear a nice green color? Take a break from the frozen patriotic look for once."

"I don't look good in green. You shouldn't be talking, a little cliché with the red, don't ya think?"

I let out a harsh laugh then gave him a deadly glare, "Low blow."

His eyes widened in surprise, "You looked like Natasha for a second."

The song ended and I still had a triumphant grin on my face when we let go. I mean, Steve just said I looked like the world's deadliest spy, how cool is that? Natasha came up from behind me and gave a big kiss on the cheek. "I saw that look," she chirped, "making Mama proud."

"You're such a great influence on her," Steve mumbled.

Natasha shrugged, "Someone has to be."

The next few hours we spent laughing and sharing stories, eventually the ten of us were the only ones left in the Tower.

"So if I pick it up I can rule Asgard?" Stark tested. They all decided to test Tony's theory of who is worthy of the Meow Meow, as Darcy calls it.

"Why, of course," Thor mused. Clint had already miserably failed, and Tony had now been trying for ten minutes with no luck.

"Told you," I chided as the man of iron finally gave up when he and the War Machine combined didn't make a dent. I was sitting with my feet up on the coffee table and my head rested against a fluffy throw pillow, perfectly content and in no mood to move.

"Yeah, why don't you try, Sparky?" Tony challenged. I immediately sat up, who am I to back down from a dare?

"Fine, I will," I walked around everyone and went to grab the hammer. Before I even touched the damn thing, it shocked me. "Ah," I gasped. "Is this thing rigged or something?"

Thor shrugged, "It may be protecting itself from your mutation, it could be intimidated."

"A hammer that conjures lightning could be intimidated by me?" I gave a harsh laugh, "Well okay then," I slid back into my spot and looked at Steve, "Your turn."

When Steve went, I saw the hammer move. It legit lifted off the table, I kept looking around at everyone to see if I was the only one that noticed, but no one seemed fazed. After Steve sat down next to me I still couldn't help but think, did that actually just happen?

"It's biometrics, right?" Stark questioned, "Like a security code? 'Whoever is carrying Thor's fingerprints' is, I think, the literal translation."

Thor chuckled, "Yes, well that's a very, very interesting theory. I have a simpler one: You are all not worthy." He picked up the Mjölnir and twirled it in his hand. Show off.

Footsteps came from behind the stairwell, except it was morphed by metal scraping the floor. "Worthy?" the electronic voice rang through the room, "How could you be worthy? You're all killers. You want to protect the world, but you don't want it to change. There's only one path to peace... your extinction." We all turned to see a twisted combination of all the Iron Legions, each instinctively reached for our weapons but were blasted before we got the chance.


	7. Chapter 7

Gosh, guys, I'm so sorry I haven't posted in a while. My plate has been kinda full, but the next few chapters should come fairly quickly since I already laid them out. I hope you enjoy, there's gonna be a lot of backstory for Lucy in the next one that I think you'll enjoy. But thanks for reading and reviewing!

Much love,

freedomintensifies

* * *

 _Crack!_

My head was slammed against the glass wall that separated the bar from the living room. I rolled over and moaned as my fingertips got sliced by the tiny glass shards. The stupid demon bot blasted me, leaving me alone in the remnants of the disaster.

I've had my fair share of getting the crap beaten out of me, but it doesn't make it any more fun. How would you feel if someone decided to blast you out of the sky when you were just chilling with your coworkers? I would assume not good, that's how I feel at least.

When I finally recovered a little bit the first thing I noticed was the ringing, it was like everything had been placed underwater. I could see them all fighting, and shouting, but I couldn't hear anything. I sat up and shook out my head trying to clear my ears when I saw the beloved Doctor Cho crouched behind our piano. _Don't ask me why we have a piano, I've never seen anyone play it, except maybe Clint when he's drunk._ I stood up getting a better glance at why she was hiding, maybe she was just shaken up, or afraid of the chaos, but there was something she was looking at.

I followed her line of sight to see the mangled Iron Legion gearing up to shoot her out of the sky, no way the Cradle could fix that. I started to sprint over, more slip on all of the discarded scraps from the explosion, in attempts to grab the thing before it caused any more damage. And as soon as I made it past all of the embarrassing struggle, America's Golden Boy grabbed the thing and chucked it toward Goldilocks who crushed it under the weight of his mighty hammer.

"I had that," I grunted, kicking off my pumps, so I could get better traction on the marble floor.

"Sure, you did," he smirked, walking over to help Helen up. I smiled, thinking that the fighting was over and I really didn't have to do anything when a stray flew out onto the balcony.

"Cooper!" Barton called from behind me, "You're up."

"Already ahead of you," I slipped my brand new dress over my head, I refused to mess it up despite being in the middle of a battle, and started to run out onto the patio. _Relax, I'm not naked, I swear, tank top and shorts, remember?_ Despite my best efforts the thing was already a mile away when I made it to Stark's landing pad, all I could see was just a speck in the distance. I turned around doing a double take as to what I was supposed to do and with no other option, I climbed over the banister and jumped off, flashing a very enthusiastic thumbs up on the way down.

I like flying, not falling. That's thanks to my father who thought it would be funny to force me to ride the Tower of Terror when I was little. It was not funny when it scarred me for life, and now whenever I jump off buildings my stomach twists into knots. Although this time, it's me legit falling not a Disney ride.

I kept a level head as a dropped stories a second and when I finally got enough momentum, I shot off. I whizzed past billboards and buildings and skyscrapers, all to chase after that little bot. "Come out, come out, wherever you are," I taunted as I slowed my pace, trying to figure out where it had scurried off to, but then I saw it. It was just sitting there next to some random building, waiting for me.

"Hello, Lucy," the scratchy robotic voice crackled as I edged closer.

"Hi," I responded, a little confused, "How do you know my name?"

It simply continued to hover and tilt it's head in curiousity, "I know many things, my child. I know about your parents, your friends, your _special_ abilities."

I raised an eyebrow, "Creepy. Now, are you done?" My skin was crawling at the thought of anyone knowing anything about me, let alone some no faced robot.

It just cackled and flew a little closer causing me instinctively to back up, "I know about the explosion, the missing posters, the _Avengers._ "

"What 'missing posters'?" I questioned, trying to keep my distance.

"You honestly don't expect a girl with a full ride to not be questioned when she up and vanishes out of the blue? It's very suspicious." It began to circle me, almost in a teasing manner, "All those friends back at home, don't you miss them, Lucille?"

"Don't call me that," I spat.

"Oh, right, touchy subject with the whole dead mother thing. I apologize."

"What do you want?" I grunted, becoming more agitated as to why I hadn't killed the thing yet.

"I want you to realize that you are better than them."

"Than who?" I glanced back at the building, "Than them? They're my friends."

"And you're their pawn, but together we can change that. We can change the world."

I snorted, "Yeah, like a pile of scraps can change the world. Go to Hell."

It almost smiled at me, "You, better than anyone, should know looks can be deceiving." It turned around as if to leave me, "Don't worry, I'll convince you and -" Before it said anything else, I shot it out of the sky. One single blast sent it falling from the heavens.

"Yeah," I smirked, "Good luck with that." I turned around and started to head back towards the building when I remembered one small detail. I live in New York City, there's a lot of people here, A lot of people on the streets where I just sent a hundred pounds of metal falling on their heads. "Uh oh."

I shot down chasing after the dismembered figure that was plummeting towards the gum covered sidewalks of Manhattan. "Crap, crap, crap," I grumbled as I tried to go faster. "Hill said no more lawsuits."

I reached out my hand as I neared, my fingers brushing against the wires as we got closer and closer to the ground and then I grabbed it, just inches from some man's toupee. I breathed a sigh of relief and started to heave the the thing up and back home when I saw a flash and then another and then a crowd began to form just a few feet under my glowing body.

"Hey, look, it's the Human Torch!" a pedestrian exclaimed.

I rolled my eyes, ugh, in no way am I, Johnny Storm.

"Let's hear it for the Fantastic Four."

"Yeah, Johnny!"

 _Don't say anything, shut up. Just go back to the Tower._ "Excuse me," the words burst from my lips, "do I look like a man? Notice the boobs." I gestured to the chest while still holding the broken robot. "I'm Pyro, an _Avenger_ , not that hot head. Get it right." _Way to stay inconspicuous._ I groaned, starting to fly away, but completely regretting my decision. I'm meant for missions, not advertising, I'm not Tony. I don't save the world or do anything great, but with the few words I just threw up, the media will have a field day. At least they don't know my true identity, well, Lucy Cooper. I'll be like what's-his-face...Spider-Man? Anyways, I slowly but surely flew back to the Tower with yesterday's garbage.

When I landed on the roof, I chucked the parts into a corner and started to pad off to find everyone. I cringed when I saw the living room, Pepper was not going to be happy when she came home from her business trip. She's really going to flip out this time especially since from the little exchange I heard between Bruce and Tony, they created it.

I ended up finding them all in the lab, more shaken up than I was, "All of our work is gone," Bruce mumbled looking through the computers, "Ultron cleared out, used the Internet as an escape hatch."

"The Internet?" I whispered to myself, "He could be _anywhere_ now."

Steve was leaned against a table with one hand on his hip, "Ultron."

Natasha was wearing an old hoodie and looked up from her side of the room, "He's been in everything. Files, surveillance, probably knows more about us than we know about each other."

I hugged my arms closer to myself, "Well, that's a comforting thought."

Rhodes looked up and started to pace, "He's in your files, he's in the Internet. What if he decides to access something a little more exciting?"

"Nuclear codes," Hill spoke up.

"Nuclear codes." Rhodes started to look around, "Look, we need to make some calls, assuming we still can."

"Nukes?" Natasha continued, calmer than I ever could be. "He said he wanted us dead."

Steve spoke up and I continued to hover by his side, "He didn't say 'dead.' He said 'extinct.'"

I played with spare part from one of the broken robots, "That's not what he told me."

"What?" Natasha asked, walking towards me.

I cleared my throat, "He said he wanted me to 'join him.'" I glanced around everyone, "Crazy, right?"

Clin got up, "He also said he killed somebody."

Hill picked a piece of glass out of her foot, "There wasn't anybody else in the building."

Stark walked up and threw some orange thing onto the projector, "Yes, there was."

I took a closer look, "Is that - is that Jarvis?" It was a mass of mangled pieces of nothing, he was almost unrecognizable.

"This is insane," Bruce gaped, and Steve bowed his head.

"Jarvis was the first line of defense. He would have shut Ultron down. It makes sense."

"No," Bruce started, "Ultron could have assimilated Jarvis. This isn't strategy, this is rage." I gulped, what if he started to apply this anger elsewhere.

Stomping started to come down the hallway and I looked up to see Thor in his full armor. When he entered the room, he didn't stop walking. He went all the way up to Tony and wrapped his hand around his neck, hoisting him up. I jumped up and so did everyone else, "Whoa, whoa, whoa," Steve yelled.

"It's going around," Barton continued.

"Come on, use your words, buddy," Stark choked as Thor dragged him across the room.

"I have more than enough words to describe you, Stark," he boomed.

"Thor," Steve called, "The Legionnaire." Thor threw Tony to the ground.

"Trail went cold about 100 miles out, but it's headed north, and it has the scepter." I buried my head in my hands, "Now we have to retrieve it, again."

Romanoff sashayed up, "Genie's out of that bottle. Clear and present is Ultron."

Helen had been analyzing the Iron Legion when she spoke up, her voice quivering, "I don't understand. You built this program." Tony looked down, "Why is it trying to kill us?"

I looked up for his response, too, but of all things, he started laughing. That's when I got mad, "I really don't find this funny," I growled.

"You think this is funny?"

"No," Stark shot. "It's probably not, right? This is very terrible. It is so.. Is is so.." He chuckled again, "It is. It's so terrible"

Thor shook his head, "This could have been avoided if you hadn't played with something you didn't understand."

"No. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It is funny." Stark went straight up to Thor's face, "It's a hoot that you don't get why we need this." I rolled my eyes and made my way towards Maria.

I slipped up onto the counter and took a few breaths, "Hey, when you're done, can I please use that after you?" I whispered while Bruce tried to reason with Tony.

"Yeah, did you step on glass, too?" I glanced at my bloody feet and gave her a small nod. "Give me your foot." I slid back on the desk and put up my foot and she started to wipe it with a clean cotton ball.

"Really? That's it. You just roll over, show your belly every time somebody snarls?" Stark spat.

"Only when I've created a murder bot," Bruce shot back.

"We didn't. We weren't even close. Were we close to an interface?"

"Well, you did something right. And you did it right here." Steve spoke up."The Avengers were supposed to be different than S.H.I.E.L.D." I instinctively dropped my head and watched as Maria picked at my feet with tweezers.

"Anybody remember when I carried a nuke through a wormhole?" Stark blabbed.

"No, it's never come up."

"Saved New York?"

"Never heard that."

"Recall that?"

A hostile alien army came charging through a hole in space. We're standing 300 feet below it." Stark shook his head, "We're the Avengers." He started to walk up to Steve, "We can bust arms dealers all the livelong day, but… that up there, that's… that's the endgame." He glanced around the room, "How were you guys planning on beating that?"

"Together." Steve said simply with his arms crossed over his chest.

"We'll lose."

Steve looked at Tony as if it were the simplest thing in the world, "Then we'll do that together, too. Thor's right. Ultron's calling us out. And I'd like to find him before he's ready for us. The world's a big place. Let's start making it smaller."

"What if he finds us first?" I started, my voice low at first, but louder the more I spoke, "He knows _everything_ about us." I thought he was just trying to get under my skin, I didn't think it was serious, that he knew about me and the people I love. I glanced at Tony then at Bruce, "I wasn't always an Avenger, I had a life, and friends, and people I care about, he could get to them." I gulped and ran a hand down my face, "What am I supposed to do? What are _we_ supposed to do? Every contact we've ever made is plastered somewhere on the Internet. What if we don't find him in time?"

Steve gave me a stern look, "It won't come to that."

I nodded and shook it off, but that didn't kill the seed of doubt glued into my mind.


	8. Chapter 8

Okay, this is a short chapter that doesn't have to do with the plot as much as it has to do with showing you that Lucy isn't just an Avenger. She was a typical girl before everything in her life went crashing down, and she didn't acknowledge that  
side of herself until she thought it may be in danger. Ultron is in the Internet, and he can easily find out about any of Lucy's connections. Imagine if he looked you up? If he did for me, he would totally read and fangirl over this fanfic, but anyways,  
everything has a purpose. This one is sorta a tribute to my bestfriend. I really liked writing it, and I hope y'all enjoy. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Much love,

freedomintensifies

* * *

"Hello?" The voice crackled through the old payphone. I breathed in a sigh of relief and leaned my forehead against the dirty wall with too much graffiti to read.

"Hey, Meg," I smiled, relieved and terrified to hear her voice. After the whole Ultron fiasco, I waited for things to settle down, so I could sneak out and find some phone that no one could trace. I just needed to call her. Just to make sure.

"It's three in the morning, who is this?" She asked, clearly confused. It's not like I could call her on my own phone or she could call me, my number had already been changed and all my accounts had been deleted, but I still knew hers.

It's Jake from State Farm, but I knew it wasn't really the time for jokes. "Deep down, you know," I whispered. It's been almost a year and a half, maybe longer.

"Lucy? Lucy, where are you? Where have you been?" Her voice was becoming more frantic, like she didn't know how much time she had with me.

"I'm fine, I'm okay, I just need you to do me a favor."

The line was silent for a while, but then her voice came through, quieter than before, "Anything."

I closed my eyes and took in a shaky breath, "I need you to delete me."

"What?" She scoffed, "What are you talking about? Tell me where you are, I'll come get you."

"Megan, you can't. I'm okay, I'm sorry it has taken me so long to call you, I was just scared." I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to keep from crying, so she wouldn't become more worried when my voice started to crack. "I need you to go online and delete  
all the pictures you have with me. Any contacts I have ever had with you, anything at all, it needs to go. Do you understand?" I know I'm being selfish. Instead of saving the world, I'm more focused on one person's life, but we all are like that,  
aren't we? We all have that one person? The other people I need to save are more than capable of handling themselves, but she's not.

"I'm not doing that." I rolled my eyes at her stubborn tone, Megan was in now way stubborn, but she definitely could act like it sometimes.

"Dammit, Megan, please just listen to me. I need you to be safe, you're the only family I've got left."

"Lucy, what is happening?" I didn't respond and the line went silent again, there was some impatient tapping on the other end before she spoke, "Fine, on one condition," her tone was authoritative, even a bit irritated.

"What?" I asked, watching the minutes on the meter waste away, I could only find so many quarters in my wallet, and I didn't want to risk making the call longer than it had to be.

"You call me one day and tell me what the hell happened to you." Her voice became more strained, "Tell me where my best friend went."

I took in a long breath as a tear slipped down my cheek, it was the first time I had cried since Mia died, "I will, I promise."

"Okay," she whispered, "I'll go do that now, but you better be safe, I don't want to hear in the news that you went and got yourself killed because if you do I'll bring you back just to kill you myself."

I laughed, despite my lack of enthusiasm, "I miss you." Then the line went dead, my time was up.

Growing up, I wasn't the most popular kid. I had four eyes, straggly hair, and ears that stuck out of my head. I was no one's best friend, I was no one's person. Nobody would know my number from heart and dial it as soon as she walked in from her first  
date with the guy of her dreams. Nobody would gossip with me, have inside jokes with me, or even just call me to hang out.

I was an outsider.

I had friends, but I never had that one special friend that you knew you couldn't live without, that is until high school. Megan Smith is exactly one year older than me, at least she claims to be, I was born in early Mayand she was born in lateAprilexcept  
the previous year. We were in the same grade, had the same classes, were in the same sports, but she was always a little more mature. She moved around a lot when she was little, had a lot of different friends, but had the ability to make new ones,  
too. I was the complete opposite, I was a shy, awkward kid who had trouble asking for a refill on my lemonade at Chick-fil-a. We both had a bunch of things in common, but in a way we couldn't have been more different.

We met freshman year in Geometry and stayed friends throughout high school with track and other classes, but she didn't become my person until senior year. I think that's when I realized that I didn't want to live without her. We would hang out all the  
time, we talked about the important stuff, the little stuff, anything. Anything and I could tell her, I trusted her that much, and that was the first time I had really trusted anyone. It's scary to think about how much one individual knows about you.  
But when you start that kind of friendship, it's supposed to last, even when we went to different colleges, it wasn't supposed to matter, but I broke her trust. I broke her trust by disappearing and being who I am.

If I were to have one regret about being Pyro, it would be losing her.

I finally realized I had been sitting in the telephone booth with my arms wrapped around my legs, shaking, when the sun started to rise. I spent the last four hours thinking about those thirty seconds.

I shut Megan out completely rather than opening up to her like I did everything else. I tell myself it's for her protection, but part of me is scared to think of who I have become. I am in no way, shape, or form that same nerdy, small town girl that took  
engineering classes and thought math was fun. I was supposed to go to college and be an engineer, make a name for myself. Instead, I made a name for myself, but not the way I wanted. It's not even my real name. Nobody cares about Lucy Cooper, Megan  
did, but it's a little too late for that.

I stood up and brushed off my old sweatpants and started to make my trek back to Stark Towers. I know everyone had to have known I was missing, but I didn't really care this time. I just needed to be alone for a little bit, then I'd be fine. I was always  
fine.

"Are you okay?"

I looked up from the opened letter to see Megan staring back at me. Her blue eyes glowed against her freckled cheeks. I put on a fake smile as a tear rolled down my chin, "I'm fine."

She sighed and leaned back in the seat of my car, we had raced home, my supposed acceptance letter was supposed to be in the mail that day, but it hadn't gone as well as I had hoped. "Waitlisted, isn't denied, Lou."

"Waitlisted isn't accepted either," I grunted as I slowly lowered the paper and closed my eyes.

She smiled, but not in the usually bright gleam, "It is, they just didn't have enough spots to accept you yet, but they still might. You're still in the running." I didn't say anything, just continued to keep my eyes shut, "Plus, you made it into a bunch  
of other great schools."

I snorted, turning towards her, squinting in the blinding sunset, "This was the school, Megan. This was my ticket out of here. I don't want to be stuck in Maryland for the rest of my life. I don't want to be like my boring parents."

"Maryland isn't bad! It's really nice here!" She tried to persuade me, but I let out a bitter laugh.

"Says the person who's leaving."

"That's not fair," she warned. "I'm not leaving you."

I took in a long shaky breath, "You're moving to Georgia. You're not just going to school there, your parents are moving, too, and you won't be here during break or anything. You're going to be gone."

She sighed and rubbed a hand down her cheek, "Lucy, I'm never going to be gone. I always be here for you even if I don't get to see you every day."

I nodded and wiped my cheeks, turning the car back on, so I could drive her home. Some time passed by before she spoke up again, "And just so you know, everything happens for a reason. College, moving, everything has a purpose. We just don't know what  
for yet."

Little did I know, that reason was Pyro. If I had gone off to college in New York like I had planned, I would've never been home to visit my father at work. I would've never been in that explosion. I would've never become her.

I guess, she was right. Everything does happen for a reason.


	9. Chapter 9

Oh, boy. This one, this one is totally insane. Quite the roller coaster, if I do say so myself and also really long, so sorry about that. Definitely a lot of normal Lucy moments, but also a lot of foreshadowing as to how Lucy became Pyro. I really hope you all like it, I know I really do, but let me know what you think! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing!

Much love,

freedomintensifies

* * *

"Suit up."

I flinched at the piercing noise in the middle of the pitch black room. I threw my bag onto the bed and flicked on the light, "Natasha?" I practically groaned.

She just continued to sit dangerously still on my sofa with her tactic suit already zipped up. "Suit up," she repeated, her voice was almost bored.

I ran a hand, sleepily down my face. It was what? Eight? Nine in the morning now? I hadn't slept at all. "But -" I gestured to the inviting comforter that I more than anything wanted to curl up into, "I just got home."

She stood up, gracefully walked past me, and only gave me a mere look over her shoulder. "Not my problem, we leave in five."

I let out a loud, over exaggerated sigh before stomping towards my closet and grabbing my uniform, it still smelled like pine trees and gunpowder from a few days prior. I slowly slipped it on and walked into the bathroom to make myself look semi presentable. My makeup from last night was smeared across my eyes causing me to resemble a raccoon and my hair was in knots. Having already given up on the day, I threw it up into a pony tail and left. There's nothing I could do now.

I walked towards the landing pad through the broken debris of previously breathtaking coffee tables and plush white sofas to meet everyone out in the fairly warm morning air. To my disappointment, everyone seemed to be in a better mood than I was.

The quinjet was open, so I snuck in taking a seat right next to Clint. "So what's the plan?" I whispered and he glanced at me, an evident smirk on his face. "What?"

"Did she yell at you?" He chuckled.

I raised an eyebrow, "Who? Natasha?" I glanced at the redhead who was leaning over Bruce, eyeing up some coordinates. "No, why?"

Clint just shook his head, "Just wait, you really pissed her off this time."

My face flushed, "I did?"

"You were out _way_ past curfew."

I snorted, "I'm nineteen, she can't tell me what to do."

Clint just shook his head, that stupid smirk still pasted on his lips, "She can when there's an artificial intelligence trying to destroy the human race, but no, you go ahead and tell her you're a big girl."

I gulped, "Crap."

He nodded, "My thoughts exactly."

Natasha seemed to notice my presence and immediately straightened her back, her entire aura turned rigid. "Cooper," she shouted and I jumped out of my chair, stumbling slightly, and if I wasn't so nervous, I may have commented on Clint's silent giggles. "What do you think you're doing?"

I gave her a nervous smile, "Sitting, ma'am."

She just smirked, "Well, I hope you enjoyed it because you will be tailing the Quinjet all the way to our destination."

My shoulders sagged, "Really?" I looked down at my scuffed combat boots. "Can I at least know where our destination is?"

She flashed me a coy smile, "It's a surprise." She clapped her hands together and made a shooing motion with her hands, "Now get to it."

I glanced at Clint then Steve then Tony then anyone who might show some sign of mercy, but they all just shrugged and let the Queen B rain hell upon a tired, idiotic semi-adult. I hopped off the platform and walked towards the edge of the building.

"Sparky, we leave in two!" Tony called and I gave him a less than enthusiastic thumbs up, this was going to be a long day.

 _Six hours later…_

"How are you feeling?"

"Tired," I spat, wiping a bead of sweat from my temple. "But surprisingly better." Natasha looked up over her shoulder with a shy smile on her lips, maybe that was her plan all along.

"Good," Steve finished up lacing his boot and stood up, ultimately towering over me. "So do you wanna hear the game plan?"

We probably landed all of three minutes ago, and I was already getting antsy. The suspense is killing me. "Yes," I drawled out, cracking each of my knuckles.

He pointed past me towards an old warehouse, no a ship of some kind, in a deserted shipping yard, "We're going to go in there and get Ultron."

I raised an eyebrow and started to jog behind him as the team started to make their way towards the building that looked like it belonged in a horror movie. "Wait, that's it?"

"That's it," he responded, not even breaking stride.

"That's not a plan."

I finally got the rhythm where I could walk next to him, "What else do you need to know?"

I obnoxiously tapped my chin, "Hmmm, let me think. Why is it so early? How did you find this place? How do you know Ultron is here? How do you know we won't die? What ever happened to a 'game plan' that actually involved legitimate plans?"

He snorted and glanced down at me, "Are you done?"

I flashed him a cheeky grin, "Yeppers."

He cleared his throat, "Well, it's not early, it's noon. We tracked where the vendor for Vibranium was assuming that Ultron would trace the strongest metal on Earth. I don't know if we are going to die, but if we do we'll walk it off, and I told you the plan."

I nodded, absorbing all the information he threw at me, "Noon is still early."

He laughed, "Really? Out of everything I just told you, that's the one you're stuck on?"

I shrugged my shoulders, "Do you really expect anything else?"

He threw open the door to the warehouse and dropped his voice so I could barely hear him, "No, I don't. Stay behind me." I smiled at him one last time and gave him a curt nod before we navigated our way through wires and ladders and fairly poorly lit spaces in order to attempt to find the robot when noises started to vibrate against the walls. Sharp, cruel, evil words towards none other than Anthony Stark.

"Stark is... He's a sickness!"

"Junior." Tony sang as he lead the pack into the area, "You're gonna break your old man's heart."

Ultron was no longer the piece of scrap I had seen once before, but he now was at least two Thors tall and almost life like. His features were animated and sarcastic making him look almost...human. It was even more horrifying, but his condescending voice was still the same, "If I have to."

Steve stepped up next, leaving me behind the old creepy door, but having Thor right at his side, "Nobody has to break anything."

Ultron almost smiled at him, "Clearly you've never made an omelet."

Stark's voice was distorted by the suit but his usual charisma shined through, "He beat me by one second."

I continued to peek out from behind the creaky warehouse sliding doors. The paint was peeling and it smelled like led, but I still had a clear view of everything, including Barton and Romanoff on the upper deck. The person, or should I say people, I saw next, however, shot chills up my spine. The Maximoff twins.

"Yes," the man with silvery grey hair stepped forward, _that's the guy that tried to kill me_ , "He's funny. Mr. Stark. It's what?" He gestured towards the bombs on the lower deck, "Comfortable? Like old times?"

"This was never my life."

Steve stepped even more forward, almost standing next to Stark, and I couldn't help but step out, too. The moment I did, all three of their eyes landed on me, and the twins didn't look all that menacing when I got a clear view. They looked angry for sure, but it was a look I could sympathize with, they were angry not out of spite but out of revenge. They looked broken and lost. I have, too. "You two can still walk away from this," Rogers interjected.

The girl pouted out her lip, she had to only have been a couple of years older than me, just a kid. "Oh, we will," her accent was more potent with the sarcasm.

"I know you've suffered," Steve tried again.

Ultron scoffed and let out a fit of laughter, it was more hysterical than maniacal. "Captain America," he spat. "God's righteous man. Pretending you could live without a war." My eyes instantly shot towards Steve. In a way, Ultron was right. We always fight, but when we don't, we don't really have a life outside of this. We don't have anywhere to go, no loved ones to run to, all we had was each other. That's more certain for me at least, but I can't even wrap my mind around what Steve went through. He left his entire life behind in the forties and has had to accept that they moved on without him. So now, the fight's all he has left. Well, the fight and us. He still has his oddball family.

Ultron continued to laugh at himself, "I can't physically throw up in my mouth, but…"

Thor spoke up, "If you believe in peace, then let us keep it."

"I think you're confusing 'peace' with 'quiet.'"

"Uh huh," Stark hummed, "What's the vibranium for?"

"I'm glad you asked that, because I wanted to take this time to explain my evil plan." Ultron ripped Tony forward and then threw him back into a crate. I jumped up to help him, but as soon as I did, Tony shot off and hit Ultron back. Both of them banging against the metal walls, an even match.

Next thing I know, Steve's on the ground with both the twins and Ultron's minion after him. I tried to help him, but I was pinned against the wall. Each limbed tied down, leaving me useless. "What the hell?" I grumbled, trying to figure out what was holding me there, and then I realized it was nothing. It was a force. It was Wanda. I looked up and saw a mysterious smirk on her lips. I ground my teeth and clenched my jaw and did everything in my power to move. Something just made me furious knowing my family suffered just as much as hers did and she thinks she has the right to work with some murderbot. It wasn't fair. I strained my neck, each muscle popping as I moved my head, then my arm, then my leg. I was pushing against her and her just for a fraction of a second her confidence faltered. That mistake allowed me to throw myself forward engulfing into flames. I slammed my body into her, so she hit the wall, hard. The worst I did was sting her, but the shock definitely would hold her for a few minutes. At least, I thought.

I got up and turned around to punch a robot, but as soon as melted a hole through his wiry chest, I saw her. A tall woman with curly blonde locks that trailed down her shoulders. Her face was round, her features were soft, and she looked completely out of place. She was too innocent for all this violence.

"Mom?" I whispered, dropping the robot at my feet. "What are you doing here?" Chatter started on the coms, but I was too perplexed as to why my dead mother was standing just yards ahead of me. She had bare feet and a long white dress. She was beautiful. I tried to call for her again, but this time she ran. She turned the corner and started sprinting, leaving me in the dust. "Mom, wait!" I called after her, forgetting everything and just chasing her. I followed her through stairwells, and discarded shrapnel, and all the chaos taking place around me. I could hear gunshots and explosions and screams, but I didn't care. I just wanted her. She took a sharp left and disappeared through a small, wooden door. It was different from all the others. It had red paint and a gold door knob, the paint had chipped and the door knob was rusted, but I knew this door.

I slowly lowered my hand and turned the handle, listening to each bolt and lock click. When I opened the door, I saw something I hadn't seen in years. My home. Everything was so familiar that I forgot to argue the peculiarity of it. All the cups were in the same place on the kitchen table that sat straight across from the front door. The mail was still piled high on the granite countertop. The walls were still the same warm yellow that reminded me of creamy butter. The cabinets were still white, the carpets were still straight, the windows were still bright with sunbeams. Everything was the same, even she was.

Dad always said her eyes looked like sunshine through a glass of whiskey. Something soft and kind, something you wanted to come home to. I just assumed that's how a mother's eyes were always supposed to look. They were supposed to be welcoming and warm and nurturing, but when I saw her standing in front of our kitchen window, clutching her coffee cup close to her chest, I only saw one thing in her eyes. Fear.

"Mom? Mom, why are you here?" I asked stepping closer, my boots muffled by the fuzzy carpet. "What's wrong?" I took another step forward, but each advance I made she pressed herself further and further against the counter. "Mom?" I reached out to touch her arm, but she flinched before I even brushed her.

"Don't," she warned putting up a cautious hand. "Don't you dare touch me."

I cowered at her tone and started to creep away, the heartwarming dream of coming home to her after school tarnished by her words of hate, "Mom? What are you talking about?"

She slammed her coffee cup onto the table, making the nuke warm liquid slosh over the edges, and glared at me. The memory of her kind face became twisted into one with pure anger and disgust. "Are you really that stupid?" She scoffed, flinging her arms about with every jagged word, "You haven't figured it out yet?"

I kept edging away, I didn't want to see her like this, I don't want to remember her like this. "You destroy _everything_ you come in contact with! _That's_ why I don't want you to _touch me._ "

"What?" I croaked out as my elbow brushed against the front door, I had backed away the entire distance of the house, there wasn't anywhere else to go.

"You're the reason why we're all dead," she growled. "Your father, your mother, and your poor little sister are all dead because of _you._ " She raised her hand back as if to slap me, and I winced at the harsh movement, even just the thought she might hurt me. "That's right," she laughed lowering her arm, "I can't lay a hand on you because _you're_ the reason we're in this mess in the first place." She shrugged and glanced at her perfectly groomed nails, "Not that you could hurt me anymore than you already have, but just to be safe."

"I didn't kill you, Mom," I whisper as silent tears stream down my face. "That wasn't me, I didn't cause that blast."

She snorts covering her mouth as she bursts into a fit of laughter, "Oh, I'm sorry." She fans herself with her hand, "But you did and you know it, don't you? When are you going to stop with the act?" She leans so close to my face all I see is those whiskey eyes, "You killed your mama," she said in a sing song voice.

"I didn't," I rasped.

"Oh," she sighed, "but you did." She placed both hands on her hips and started to walk away, "You did because when that building blew up, that helicarrier was in no way close to our floor, so it would have been impossible for that explosion to be of that magnitude with nothing to cause it." She turned around and gave me an eerie smile, "Except it wasn't nothing. It was you."

"What?" I whimpered, I was shaking so hard that I hadn't moved from my spot against the red lacquered door.

"Lucille, baby," her southern drawl was becoming more evident as the sarcasm rose in her voice, "you are dumber than dirt, I swear to goodness." She began to mimic what she was talking about with over exaggerated gestures, "You see your super duper freaky powers had to change sometime, and that wasn't when the building collapsed, it was when you changed."

"No. No, it wasn't, I would have remembered."

"Yeah," she grinned. "But you hit your head pretty hard on that fall, might have made all those memories get jumbled up."

"No, that's not what happened," I sobbed, refusing to acknowledge that everything my dead mother was saying may be true. "Why would I change then, huh? Something would've had to cause it."

She simply shrugged, "I don't have all the answers, doll face, but I just thought you should know the reason why I'm six feet under is because of you." She jabbed her finger in my direction. "And baby, I _hate_ you because of it."

I gulped and tried to calm my breathing, but it just kept getting faster and more rapid. "No," I sobbed. "I'm sorry you're dead, but _no. I didn't kill you._ I _help_ people. I _save_ people, I don't _kill_ them."

She smiled raising her fingers in a snapping motion, "Denial isn't going to do you any good, sweet cheeks." There was something so alluring about her, something so foreign yet so familiar. I slowly backed away from my hiding spot and took shaky, hesitant steps towards. I just needed to know if it was her or not, if my mom really did hate me. I took step after step except this time, she didn't back away from me. She stood tall and proud and waited for me to meet her. I took one more step and I was inches from her face, I was only a few inches taller than her, but under her gaze, I felt like a small child.

I reached out a hand and stroked my fingertips against her cheek. Her skin was smooth and soft just as I remembered, but wherever I touched little sparks would erupt, I was hurting her. I was burning her. I ripped my hand away, but it was too late, her face had already started to morph into a charred piece of rotting flesh. That's how she looked when I identified the body that was too disfigured to recognize, that's what she was turning into now. I killed her again. "I'm sorry, Mommy," I sobbed holding my hand against my mouth to stifle the cries. "I didn't want this to happen. I didn't mean it. I love you so much." As what was left of her started to melt away, I tried to blurt out all the countless things I had wanted to say one last time. It didn't matter what she told me or how she feels about me, she was still my mom, no matter what. "I miss you," was all I could think of.

She flashed me one more sickly sweet grin as her lips began to crack and split before snapping her fingers and disappearing forever, "Time to wake up, baby girl."

I jolted awake, to see Steve, with a horrified expression on his face, just staring at me. I ran the back of my hand under my eyes, wiping away the stray tears. I don't know how he found me, but he did. I was crammed under a rusted staircase, shaking harder than I care to admit. "You okay, Luce?"

I nodded and pasted on the same fake smile that I could see every time I shut my eyes, "I'm fine."


	10. Chapter 10

Hello, people! New chapter, it's more of a reflection of all the drama in the last one, but it's gonna be a little more upbeat after this. Sorry for being so depressing, but I have a plan, don't worry. I hope you all enjoy and thanks for all the amazing reviews! They're so sweet! Thanks for reading!

Much love,

freedomintensifies

* * *

"What is this place?" I whispered when everyone had started their hike towards the small farmhouse in the distance. The whole vibe of the place felt almost at peace with the olive shutters and the eggshell painted walls. Everything was surrounded in tall, wispy grass that danced in the breeze. I breathed in the sweet smelling air and clung tighter to my locket the closer we got. To tell you the truth, I haven't let go of it since Steve found me, it was my lifeline, my one connection to her.

We walked down the gravel path and I clumsily brushed against the old wooden fence and lost my balance for a second before someone steadied me, that was another thing that hadn't changed in the past few hours. Steve stayed by my side the entire trip to wherever we were, but I still hadn't figured out if it was for my sake or his. Everyone seemed to be having their own nightmare in their heads, no matter how hard we tried to hide it or deny it. They were still there, and they made us look like dead men walking.

"Safe house," Stark gently replied from in front of us, he was so quiet I would've sworn he was trying to keep from waking a baby. The way most of us were acting, I wouldn't be surprised if he was doing it for our sake. It was silent again when we started to slowly walk up the creaky front porch steps, but Clint turned his head slightly when he opened the door for Natasha.

"Let's hope," he sighed. When we walked in, I expected the standard S.H.I.E.L.D. safe house. The stark white walls, minimal furniture, weaponry, a few odds and ends to last a few days not a crayon drawing and Barbie playhouse. "Honey?" Barton called, "I'm home." From the kitchen, walked a very pregnant woman with soft eyes and long brown hair, not the typical S.H.I.E.L.D. agent either. "Hi. Company. Sorry, didn't call ahead," Clint babbled on and her lips turned up into an excited smile.

She walked up to him and gave him a peck on the lips. "Hey," she hummed. I raised an eyebrow and stared straight at Stark, he seemed to be the only one within my vicinity actually thinking that all of this was kind of weird. Clint with a girlfriend? Whose pregnant? No, that's not possible.

"This is an agent of some kind," he smirked and I gave him a shy smile, but I was extremely confused with the whole situation. Why haven't I heard about this?

"Gentlemen, Lucy, this is Laura."

She smiled at all of us as Clint held her shoulder protectively, "I know all of your names," she chuckled. I stared at her cautiously as I crossed my arms across my chest. She knew about us, too? Is this where Clint was on Thanksgiving and Easter and Fourth of July? He ditched us for this random chick named _Laura_. As my thoughts became more and more bitter, something strange happened, stranger than everything else, including Barton's mistress, the pounding on staircases. The loud, reckless rumbling that comes from children when it's Christmas morning. The eagerness to go downstairs and see what Santa left you, but in this case, their gift was their father. For a brief second, I looked up expecting Mia, but it was a boy with floppy hair and a little girl with braided pigtails. Clint's small affair turned out to be an entire family with a wife and two kids. It was hard to hide the disappointment on my face.

"Incoming," Clint warned as he swooped up the little girl and gave her a kiss on the top of her head.

"Dad!"

"Hi, sweetheart! Hey, buddy. How are you guys doing?" Everyone seemed so confused as to how Clint had this second life. The wife, the kids, the white picket fence, but it all made sense now. Just one look in his eyes, and you could tell how happy he was in this very moment with his family. My previous hesitations subsided and I dropped my arms to my sides. My dad had that same look on his face when he came home from a hard day at work. A pang of guilt that usually wasn't there when I thought about my family erupted in the pit of my stomach, and I had to lean against the wall for support.

"These are smaller agents." Tony tried again, looking in my direction for some approval, but I just stared off into the distance. The pain that was in my chest began to ache and I had to remind myself none of it was true. It was just a dream. I closed my eyes and began to focus on my breathing and calm myself down. It was just a dream, it was only a dream, none of it was true. _Denial isn't going to do you any good, sweet cheeks._ My eyes shot open and my breathing hitched, I frantically looked around the room mildly panicked, but no one seemed to notice my internal suffering. I just bit back the bile in the back of my throat and tried to look like I was my normal self, I couldn't tell someone about what I saw. They would think I was a monster.

I only paid attention to the chatter when I heard the girl squeak out, "Did you bring Auntie Nat?"

 _Wait...Natasha knew?_ I glanced over at Natasha who had perked up at the little girl's voice. The whole plane ride here she was silent, but when she saw the girl, her entire attitude changed. She bent down to her height and spread her arms wide as a loving grin crossed her lips. "Why don't you hug her and find out?" She teased and the girl ran into her arms as Natasha scooped her up, kissing her cheek. It was almost refreshing to see that Natasha wasn't always my hardass mentor, not that I don't love her, but still.

Steve cleared his throat, "Sorry for barging in on you."

"Yeah, we would've called ahead, but we were busy having no idea that you existed."

Clint hugged Laura and the boy, "Yeah, well, Fury helped me set this up when I joined. He kept it off S.H.I.E.L.D.'s files. I'd like to keep it that way. I figure it's a good place to lay low." I nodded and kept my distance in the corner, I don't really know how I felt at this point. Everything kept happening, one blow after the next, and I didn't know how many more hits I could take.

I was completely overwhelmed. I felt hurt because my own team member didn't trust me enough to confide in me about his secret family. I was worried in the sense that there's a murderbot that's main goal in life is to murder the entire team, and now we have no clue where he was. I was guilty in the sense that my existence could put my best friend's life in danger, and god, I was mortified. I was mortified, scared, sick to my stomach at the idea that I killed my family. Yeah, so, I feel like overwhelmed describes my state pretty well.

I stepped out from my hiding spot for a second and croaked out to no one in particular, "I'm going to get some air." I winced when my voice cracked, but there was nothing I could do about it at that point, I was already moving. I pushed my way through the squeaky screen door, I jogged down the porch steps and past the fence, and then I just ran. I didn't know where I was going or how far I would run or for how long, but I just needed to leave. Part of me was hoping that if I ran hard enough, I could leave all of my problems behind. I sprinted past a pile of logs, past the rust colored barn, and through the tall meadow grass. I ran and ran and ran until I just stopped. My legs gave out, my arms went weak, and I collapsed into the swarm of untamed weeds.

I curled into myself and watched the blank sky. There were no imperfections, no soft pastel colors or soft, white wisps, it was just perfect. When I was little, I would stare at the sky. It was quiet and calming when the puffy clouds would come to life as they flew across the clear blue canvas. That was the fun thing about clouds, each one was unique in their own individual way, but this one had nothing. Mia would always try to convince me that the clouds looked like people we knew or animals we saw at the zoo, but there were none to look at. My heart stopped, I thought about her so casually I hadn't even noticed the tightening in my chest. I ran a hand down my cheek and pushed the sweaty bangs off my face. _She was only twelve._ All the clouds were gone, just like her. My throat began to constrict as that dream began to flash across the untarnished sky.

" _You killed your mama."_

I shot up and squeezed my eyes shut as I struggled to pull down the zipper of my uniform. It felt like a boa constrictor threatening to eat me alive.

" _You destroy everything you come in contact with! That's why I don't want you to_ touch _me."_

I jimmied the thing down before ripping out my arms and pulling down the top.

" _I just thought you should know the reason why I'm six feet under is because of you." She jabbed her finger in my direction. "And baby, I hate you because of it."_

My breathing got quicker and more desperate and I had no idea what to do. My chest was rising rapidly, my palms were clammy, and my whole body was shaking. I tried to stand up, but my legs felt like jello. I tried to open my eyes, but all I saw was her rotting flesh. I curled my arms around my knees and buried my face into them. There was nothing else I could do except cry. The first sob scared me, it was violent and loud and almost unrecognizable. The agonizing noise coming from my lips almost wasn't human. I started to rock back and forth as wave after wave slammed me with worse thoughts and louder wails. I stayed like that for what felt like hours, and the thing I wanted more than anything was for my mom to comfort me.

When the pain had dulled, I rolled back onto the grass and stared at the crystalline sky again as my now silent cries became hiccups. It wasn't that I was embarrassed, I was guilty from the fact that I cried harder than I did the day they died. Nothing should ever be more tragic than their deaths, but I let my own self hatred get the best of me, and, boy, I hated myself even more. I hated that I let that witch get into my head. I hated that I allowed myself to believe that she may be right. I hated how incredibly stupid I was for letting her get the jump on me. I hated that I didn't die with them. I _hated_ it.

I angrily reached up and wiped the leftover tears from my cheeks and propped myself up onto my elbows. _I'm gonna make things right._

"Lucy?"

I jumped slightly at the voice, but I tried to paste on the most casual face I could muster, "Hi, Steve."

He navigated his way through the tall weeds and sighed when he saw my puffy eyes and tear stained cheeks. "Do you want to talk about it?"

I instinctively reached up and grabbed my locket, "No."

The soil crunched under his boots when he took a seat next to me. "Come on, Luce. You're the only one I can count on to _not_ keep secrets from me."

I nodded and kept my face out of view, I was too scared that I would start sobbing again and I really didn't want any of my team members to see that. It was quiet except the buzz of insects, but the silence became deafening. I gulped when I spoke, my voice came out timid and vulnerable, "I saw my mom."

He lowered his head, "I know." I glanced up at him, but he just pointed to his ear, "You called her name over the coms."

I nodded, sitting up and crossing my legs, my hand still clamped around the smoothed silver. "She said I killed her."

"Lucy -"

I kept talking as if I hadn't been interrupted, "It makes sense, the timing at least, I'm still working out the how."

"Luc -"

"People can't just explode, right? Maybe I set off a grenade and somehow survived the blast."

"Lu -"

"Or maybe I had these powers all along and the high stress situation is why I killed the only family I ever had."

"L -"

"Or maybe someone did this to me, maybe it was something I couldn't control."

"Lucy!" Steve shouted, trying to get my attention as I continued to word vomit any possible scenario I could think of. "Lucy, calm down, you didn't kill your family," he almost whispered, as if not to scare me.

I just glared at him, the thought just made me angry. "How do you know?" I spat. "If you haven't noticed, Steve, people don't just become freaking torches out of the blue. I mean you - you got your strength through steroids." He rolled his eyes and leaned back onto his hands. "Bruce hulks out because of gamma radiation, Thor is a freaking god, Nat and Clint aren't really super, but still, there's a pattern." I jabbed my finger at my chest, "Something did this to me, someone or something or somehow I became this freak who kills her family, and I want to know the truth." My anger became to simmer the longer I thought about it, and my voice quieted to it's normal whimper. "Because I can't live with the idea that it was all my fault."

Steve took a deep breath, "Lucy, it wasn't your fault. If you're going to blame anyone, it should be Hydra or me for that matter." He put a hand on my shoulder, "It wasn't your fight, you were just caught in the crossfires, and I'm sorry."

I scoffed, "I don't care about that, I told you that it wasn't your fault. I was there and all the awful stuff happened, but you still saved countless lives." I ran a hand down my cheek when I felt a stray tear fall, "I just want to know if that blast - that explosion was me or not. I want to know what happened and maybe the demons in my head will go away."

"Have you ever considered the fact that maybe she put that idea in your head to mess with you? To scare you, to take you off your game and make you an easier target?"

"No," I whispered.

"Everything you saw could be her contorting your memories to make less of threat."

I looked up at him when he pulled his hand away, "Do you think she was lying?"

Steve shrugged, "It's possible."

It was quiet again and the sky seemed a little less daunting, "Did you see anything?" I felt him tense next to me and I playfully jabbed my elbow into his side. "No secrets, remember?"

He cleared his throat and stared off into the distance, "I saw Peggy."

I raised an eyebrow, "Peggy?" I bit my lip for a while, trying to figure out who he was talking about and then it clicked. "Peggy as in Peggy Carter as in founder of S.H.I.E.L.D.?" He nodded and my jaw went slack, "Why did you think of her? She's in the freaking history books, she's a living legend."

He smirked, "To be fair, I'm also in the history books."

I snorted and rolled my eyes, "Yeah, well, we all can't be as perfect as you -" Then it dawned on me, "No way, you _dated_ the _most badass agent_ ever?!" I let out a giddy squeal, "Dude… if it wasn't for her, I may not even be an Avenger." I furrowed my eyebrows, "How was that a fear?"

He sighed, "Because I never left."

"Isn't that good? You get to be with her, you get to be happy, how's that a bad thing?"

He lowered his head, "In the war -" he cut himself short, "In the war, I lost the only family I had left, I lost my best friend, and I couldn't deal -" He groaned as he kept tripping on his words, "Other than Peggy, I had no one. Here, I have the team, I have friends, I know Bucky's alive. If I stayed there, after the war, things would go back to normal, and I didn't like my life."

I twirled a piece of grass between my fingers, "I wouldn't've liked not meeting you, either."

"The worst part was -" he started, "Peggy wanted me to go back, so we could be together, but I just couldn't." He sighed, "The guy back then wanted this life." He looked at the house, "To marry a dame, get a nice house, raise a bunch of kids, but that's not me anymore."

I put a hand on his shoulder, "She would have understood."

"Whenever I talk to her now, she doesn't even remember that I'm back. I have to watch the same pained expression cross her face every time I visit her."

"Steve," I lowered my hand, my heart was breaking even more from his distress, "I'm so sorry."

He just shrugged it off as if nothing was wrong, "It's fine, nothing I can do about it now."

I laughed at how casual the whole conversation was, just talking about our deepest, darkest fears that a woman with freaky powers showed us. "We're both pretty screwed up, huh?" I chuckled.

He smirked but his face turned into something more serious, "After this is all over, we'll figure out what happened. I promise."

I gave him a sad smile, "Don't make promises you can't keep, Rogers."

* * *

Someone reviewed and I couldn't respond to it, so I'm just going to write it here. It's funny you mention that, I love Wanda because I feel her character arc is so unique. She has all this power and can basically destroy anything she comes against, but she doesn't. She holds back because she fears her own power herself and she's also guilt ridden by the harm she caused in the past. She is her own worst enemy. I know what she did to Lucy was mean, but in a way it helped Lucy figure more out about her past, or at least more in the long run. Wanda was just doing what she felt was right at the time, and when she realized that Ultron was corrupt she did everything in her power to stop him. Lucy and Wanda both also have a lot of parallels, so in the future they have the possibility of being really great friends. But I understand where you're coming from, Wanda was being really mean. When you think about it though, all she did was show Lucy her worst fear, so it was in Lucy's head all along. So don't hate on Wanda just yet, she's pretty chill.


	11. Chapter 11

This chapter is a little more...Lucy. I know I said it was going to be happy and I wrote this entire backstory, but it just didn't fit. I hope you enjoy it though, it's entirely action. Also, in the end section, I know Wanda sounds really mean, but Lucy came at her first. Don't hate her please, they'll be friends soon, I hope. Anyways, 10 DAYS TILL CIVIL WAR! SO excited! Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing, it makes my day!

Much love,

freedomintensifies

(Last night it was unedited, I updated it to make it a little less choppy. I hope it's better.)

* * *

It's been eighty-four hours.

To be exact, it's been three days, twelve hours, twenty-nine minutes, and eighteen seconds since I last fell asleep, and yes, I've been counting.

I leaned my head back onto the poorly padded Quinjet seat and tried to shut my eyes. It's not like I haven't tried to rest, it's just I mentally wasn't able to. I spent the remainder of yesterday curled up in Lilah's princess themed trundle bed attempting to turn off my brain, but the gears kept grinding.

I have probably psychoanalyzed everything from that dream at least a million times, but I came up with a total of squat. I mean, yeah, okay, I know that my mom is accusing me of murder, but there's something missing. She was trying to get me to open my eyes, but to what, I have no idea. It's like I've only started to find the pieces to the puzzle, and I'm not even close to assembling it. I ground my palms into the purple and black circles under my eyes in attempt to regain some of my consciousness, or at least look like it, and looked around the plane. Last night, Fury showed up at our front step and basically told us, we're all he's got. There's no more S.H.I.E.L.D., there's no more allies, no more assistance, no more nothing. We're it. We're the only ones who can stop Ultron.

We all knew that from the get go, but I rather not hear it spoken out loud from the allegedly dead director, it just made it all the more real. He also suggested we split up, Stark and Banner go do something with weird tech and the rest of the Dream Team go find Ultron. So where are we flying, you might ask? Well, Ultron needs to evolve, right? And Helen Cho has her Cradle thing that can actually regenerate biomaterial in order to heal wounds and what not, so do you catch my drift? Ultron is with Doctor Cho, doing what, I have no idea, but it probably has something to do with the Vibranium he stole.

I zipped my uniform up to its collar and wrapped my arms around my torso. We were going to face off with Ultron, so that meant getting a glimpse of his terror twins, too. I internally groaned, I was in no way ready to see that witch. If I do, she better be ready, she's got a new thing coming.

"Did you guys copy that?" Steve crackled through on the comms. We dropped Steve off in Doctor Cho's lab in Seoul all of ninety seconds ago, and it was silly of me to assume I had at least another five minutes to kill.

"We did," Barton responded while manning the controls. I slowly got out of my seat and stretched my arms out, I had been hunched in that position for about five hours now. I quietly walked up behind Natasha who was tapping one of the computers.

"I got a private jet taking off across town," she clicked one of the icons before continuing. "No manifest." She glanced over her shoulder at me before zooming in on the plane. "That could be him."

"There." I looked up to see Barton pointing at a teal blue truck with white writing on the sides. "It's a truck from the lab." I slipped on my fingerless gloves and tightened my ponytail, I'm up next. "Right above you, Cap. On the loop by the bridge." Barton x-rayed the vehicle to see what was inside of it, "It's them. You got three with the Cradle, one in the cab." He aimed the blasters onto the front bed, " I could take out the driver."

"Negative," Cap shouted so loud that I winced, "That truck crashes, the gem could level the city. We need to draw out Ultron."

"On it," I called, opening the back door. I could already see Cap landing on the back of the truck, but just him alone wouldn't hold Ultron for long.

"Cooper!" Barton called and I turned around as the wind whipped my hair into my face, "Try to draw the guards out and I'll do the rest." I gave him a thumbs up before jumping out of the emergency door. Last time I saw Steve, he was on top of the truck, now he's hanging onto the hinges of a busted door.

"Well, he's definitely unhappy. I'm gonna try and keep him that way."

"You're not a match for him, Cap."

"Thanks, Barton," Steve sighed.

As soon as I got a visual, I flew up behind Cap but just as I did Ultron blasted him back towards me, slamming us both into a civilian's windshield.

"Yeah, you definitely pissed him off," I groaned, trying to get up. Luckily, I did not burn the Captain because he literally slammed the flames right out of me. I looked up to see the truck getting further away and there was no way Cap would be able to run his was up to him. "Need a lift?" I asked, climbing onto the roof of the car.

He raised an eyebrow, "You sure?"

I shrugged, brushing off the shattered glass from my shoulder. "Yeah, how hard can it be?" I grabbed the back of his suit and shot off. It turns out it was a lot harder than I expected. The combination of focusing on keeping my hands at their natural state so I didn't burn a hole through his harness, actually lifting a two hundred plus pound man, and trying to fly at a speed faster than traffic, which right now was probably a hundred miles per hour. Yeah, it was pretty difficult.

When we finally caught up, I ungracefully slammed him into the side so he could grab onto the ladder. "God, Rogers, how much did you eat?" I panted, slowing my pace. He just rolled his eyes and climbed up onto the top of the truck bed again.

"Watch it, Cooper," he chided.

"You're welcome," I teased, falling back until I was behind the truck and shot a fireball at the robots. Both of them looked up, mildly annoyed, but went back to doing whatever. I groaned and shot at them again, nothing. They were ignoring me, as if I wasn't even worth their time. "Fine," I muttered. "You asked for it." I flew into the truck and punched a hole straight through one of their computer screens. Both of them looked up, and they were furious. I jumped out of the vehicle with both of them at my tail. "Now, what, Barton?" I screamed as I dodged the continuous fire of bullets.

"Keep 'em busy." Yeah, didn't think of that, thanks for the help.

I rolled my eyes and flew up, the last thing I wanted was a civilian casualty on my hands, so I was going to make sure no one else was even close, well, except for the occasional bird. I shot straight through the ramps, the cars, the buildings and flew as high as I could go. Maybe, they would get tired or their battery would die or something, but that's not what happened. They chased me until they didn't all they did was just stop and turn around. "They're heading back towards you," I called. "So whatever you're gonna do, do it now."

"I'm going in. Cap, can you keep him occupied?" Natasha asked. I looked down to see a giant hole in the side of the train, I guess that's where I'm going next.

"What do you think I've been doing?" Cap grunted through the comms.

"You've got back up," I said when I landed next to him. There in front of us stood a huge, gleaming, and uncannily human robot. Ultron was a lot taller than I remembered him, and the chaos all around him made him that much more intimidating. He raised his repulsor to fire at Steve, and I jumped up and slammed my fist against his face, but all I did was slightly deform him. His cheek drooped slightly as the once rock hard material turned malleable, but it wasn't enough, I needed to go hotter. I edged back, starting to channel the heat from my core to throw a second blow when something whizzed past me, throwing me off balance, and took Ultron out. Then the gates around me started to turn a dark red and reshape into a holding cell for Ultron.

It was them.

And were they helping us? Weren't they Team Murderbot?

"Please, don't do this," Ultron begged. His human like features lost their menacing grit and turned into a softer one. He looked sad; heartbroken.

"What choice do we have?" The girl with the thick Sokovian accent seemed horrified at the tall metal man which was odd. What's happened since two days ago that caused her to fight against him. What could be that bad? Ultron just shot through the front of the train and took off.

"I lost him! He's headed your way!" Cap shouted, but I was a little worried about what was coming next.

"We have bigger issues," I said, pointing to the passed out conductor. I jumped over all of the fallen debris and lifted his head. He was either out cold or dead, but either way the train wasn't slowing down and we were running out of track. "The train's moving at a rate of one hundred and sixty six kilometers per second," I tried to flip a few switches, but all that was on the screen was the speed. "If we don't counter it with an equal or higher speed, a lot of people are going to get hurt." Steve gave me a long look and I just shook my head, "I didn't study blowing things up in college, I'm pretty smart, you know." I glanced out the window and checked the steel tracks. "I can try to melt the wheels while it's still on the track but that's not much-" We slammed into the iron gate separating us and the innocents on the street. "Well, nevermind."

"Cap, Coop, you see Nat?" Barton crackled through.

"If you have the package, get it to Stark! Go!" Steve ordered.

"Do you have eyes on Nat?"

"Go!"

"Nat?" I asked, mildly confused. Where was she? What was Clint talking about?

Before I could think of anything else, we rammed into a building, knocking me off my feet. I tumbled back and slapped my head against a led pipe. I scrambled to get up, but there was nothing Cap or I could do to prevent this thing from moving. There was no point for me to stand up rather than push the passengers towards the back of the train. But they can. They could help.

"Civilians in our path," Cap started, already getting the same idea I had. The Maximoff boy sped off picking up and carrying all of the people out of the train's way.

"Can you stop this thing?" he nodded towards the girl and then the red wisps flew from her fingers. She ground her teeth, furrowed her brows, and slammed her hands towards the ground. It looked like nothing, but the train was gradually getting slower until it finally stopped. We came to a jagged halt and everyone started filing out, hopping over all the broken pavement that kept the train steady. Steve got off first, but my cognitive were a little slow at the moment, so I took my time. My head was on fire, not literally but painfully, and I'm pretty sure I busted a lip and smashed my nose. That would explain the blood, but as a whole, I would say the team made it out pretty good. Although, we still don't know where Natasha was, she probably went back with Clint or something. I'm sure she is fine.

When I got out, the Maximoff boy was hunched over and breathing harder than expected. His sister tried to help him, but he just brushed her off, "I'm fine. I just need to take a minute."

"I'm very tempted not to give you one," Rogers bellowed and it was hard for me not to smirk. They may have helped us, but that didn't excuse for any of the crap they put us through.

The girl looked up, "The Cradle. Did you get it?"

I walked next to Cap and crossed my arms, "Stark will take care of it," I said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"No, he won't," she warned, her eyes becoming panicked, almost frantic.

"You don't know what you're talking about," Steve insisted. "Stark's not crazy." Assuming the conversation was over, I walked up to the shattered remains of a shop window. My reflection was beaten and bruised. There was a slice above my left eye, a bruise under the right, blood dripping from my nose and a swollen lip. I definitely was not even close to Cap's indestructibility, or at least the one he claims to have. He had a cut, maybe two, but that was the extent.

"He will do anything to make things right," she tried again and I turned round. Could she be -no she couldn't, Tony wouldn't do that, or would he? Steve seemed to have the same realization that I did. Tony was the reason we were in this mess to begin with, he would do anything to fix that.

"Steve…" I began, but he already was trying to reach someone.

"Stark, come in. Stark." He looked at me, but if they weren't answering America's Golden Boy, there's no way they would answer me. "Anyone on comms," he tried again.

"Ultron can't tell the difference between saving the world and destroying it. Where do you think he gets that?"

* * *

The ride back was silent. Well, it was more like Steve and I were flying with two people that tried to murder us not even a week ago who were now magically on our side, so conversation wasn't coming easily. "So…" I drawled out, spinning around in my chair to look at the twins. "What tipped you off that Ultron was, you know, insane?"

"Lucy, now is not the time," Steve groaned as he manned the controls. He was a little on edge with the whole idea of Stark being stupid again, but I was rolling with the punches. The curiosity was more interesting right now, and although we had been flying all of twenty minutes, the air was already thick with unanswered questions.

I rolled my eyes, "No, Steve, it's the perfect time because we have a long flight, and they have nowhere to hide." I clicked my tongue at the blue boy, "Or run." I redirected my attention and gave the Maximoff girl a dry smile, "So, let me get this straight, you followed a man, no sorry robot, who told you it was a great idea to kill an entire group of people whose sole purpose is to protect innocent civilians?" I let out a short giggle, "That's rich."

"We were doing what we thought was right," the older brother countered, instinctively moving in front of his sister.

I snorted, leaning closer to the girl, my face was dangerously close to hers. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize the right thing was suffocating someone or twisting the memories of her dead mother." The girl seemed to wince at that, "Oh, did that struck a nerve? My bad."

"I didn't know about your loss," she tried. "Our parents were killed, too. They died at the hands of Tony Stark, and we wanted him dead for the same reason you want to take down HYDRA. We didn't care who got in the way."

"Creating the weapon isn't activating it!" I practically shouted. "Your parent's death wasn't Tony's fault. He used to manufacture weapons and sometimes bad people got ahold of it, so that's not an excuse for any of the destruction you caused. If you want someone to hurt, find out who launched that missile" I let out another laugh, "And to think, you think we're the monsters! What you did was reckless and irresponsible."

She just smiled, "That may be so, but at least we know and take responsibility for what we did." She leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms, "Do you?"

I clenched my jaw, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't you?" her Sokovian accent got thicker the more cockier she became. "We know the weapon that killed our parents, can you say the same?" My heart stopped and she gave me a joyful smile, "Maybe it wasn't a weapon at all, but a cowardly, scared little girl."

My cheeks went hot and my eyes burned and it became hard to breath again. "That's enough," Steve ordered. "Right now, we need to stop Stark. All other disputes need to be put to rest." I gave the Maximoff girl one last look before turning around. I wanted to hate her, I really did, but she was right. At least she wasn't the monster who killed her parents, I was or I believed myself to be for the moment.

The truth is, I didn't really know what to think, all I wanted was the real story. And after this is all over, that's exactly what I'm going to find out.


	12. Chapter 12

I'm sorry I suck. Between graduating from high school, going to college orientation, saying goodbye to some of my best friends, I just didn't have the time. That, and this chapter was a pain in my ass. Honestly, AoU was a sucky movie, I loved it, but come on, Civil War was amaze balls. That's really been my whole purpose. To get Lucy to that point. So, I sorta left out the whole Vision thing, it's important, just not enough for me to write a whole other chapter, it was a stepping stone nonetheless. I can add an ending to the last chapter if some of y'all are confused but I really like this one so I hope it makes up for it. You have all seen the movie, I assume? You get the gist? Well, anyway, I really hope you enjoy. Took me a really long time plus it's super long. Love y'all and love to see what you guys think. I'll try to post more regularly. Oh, and Happy 4th!  
Much love,  
freedomintensifies

* * *

Have you ever wondered how those few lucky individuals become human conductors and get branded by their lightning strikes? On top of the 300,000 volts of electricity coursing through their bones and them being heated to a lovely 50,000 degrees fahrenheit, their blood vessels actually explode upon contact with the bolt leaving the eerily beautiful patterns on their skin. Fascinating, isn't it? They're called Lichtenberg figures, an oddly German way of naming the lightning-bolt shaped burn on their chests, but hey, that's science for ya. But with beauty, there's pain. All the voltage that courses through the victim's veins during that fraction of a second can also lead to organ failure, cardiac arrest or death. Lightning is mesmerizing, captivating, and powerful, but it is no force to reckoned with. I know, a lot of fun and very horrific facts being thrown your way, but there is a point to it all.

Lightning is caused by the static charge that builds up in the clouds, and when the protons and electrons in the cloud separate to an extranomical amount, the electrons shoot out due to the electrical field overpower, at least according to my textbook I stole from Tony. The excess charge caused by too much tension, so ZAP there it is. So now imagine, instead of a force of nature, a girl in her late teens that just lost her twin brother. The emotional trauma and distraught brought onto her by the sudden rush of the break in the sibling bond can cause the girl to lose sight of controlling her freaky powers and create catastrophic results, like too much tension in a rain cloud.

You have this girl with the capabilities to create spherical forces of energy that disrupt reality at a quasi-psionic force to cause molecular disturbances that results in spontaneous combustion, let's call her our lightning, and an innocent bystander more commonly known by the alias of Lucy Cooper. And trust that Wanda Maximoff can do a hell of a lot more damage than one measly lightning bolt.

I didn't really know how to react when this chick that I was just kicking ass with, instead of her kicking my ass as done in the previous days, collapsed to the ground screaming bloody murder and a red, wispy force exploded out of her. We were doing pretty great during majority of the battle, like we made it far enough to get the civilians off the floating chunk of Earth and the last job left was to protect the "key to the city" for as long as possible which we both willingly volunteered for. But when you become so filled with hope, the bad seems to hit you harder than a brick. I mean, losing is the inevitable? No matter how many times we fight, there is going to be one we can't win. There's going to be a moment when the bad guys get us, and as everything was unraveling around me, I gave in. I accepted my fate.

Instead, I was struck by my lightning.

* * *

-Present Time (Immediately following all of the civilians being loaded onto the Helicarrier)-

"What the hell did you do to her?" Natasha all but growled as she made her way over to the Asgardian god carrying the limp girl in her arms. Thor had just detonated the world's largest bomb, AKA a flying city, but that meant nothing to the spunky redhead when she noticed her trainee in his arms. Lucy didn't have any bumps or bruises, not even the cut over her left brow from the day before or the split lip or scraped knee. She looked the healthiest she had been since Natasha first met the bubbly but surprisingly sinister girl in that interrogation room years ago, but that wasn't the reason for Nat's worrying.

Thor looked for a place to set the young woman down, but amongst all the debris from what looked to be an explosion, he decided that continuing to hold her might be best. Thor cleared his throat and looked unflinchingly into the woman's eyes, "When we destroyed the core and I fell amongst the rubble, I noticed Lady Lucy floating in the water." He glanced down at his sleeping teammate, "I found her like this." Natasha seemed to be stunned by the fact that nobody went back for her, but they all had assumed they didn't need to. Lucy was fast and smart, she would have felt the drop of the rock and known to have gotten off, so her current state of condition had to have been caused before everything happened.

Thor had begun to call for the medical team to check Lucy's vitals, but Natasha kept her eyes fixated on her little soldier. Then slowly but surely, she reached her hand up and gently swept it through Lucy's dripping locks. The once amber brown hair that reminded Natasha of a piece of melting chocolate on a warm summer day now revealed a pale and pearly platinum blonde.

You could even say that the new head of hair compared to a Lichtenberg figure, a brand, a reminder of the moment when they almost died, one that they would look at until the day they actually did.

* * *

"Hello?" I called to no one in particular. To be honest, I'm not exactly how I got here or when for that matter. I simply stood there, waiting. Looking off into the distance in hopes to see something, anything, or anyone. I finally gave up and resumed my endless walk down a highway in the middle of the desert, if you asked me where I was, I couldn't tell you. The further I walked the more it seemed I was distancing myself from civilization. This barren wasteland of dust and dirt was all I could see for miles and miles.

It's not like the silence was unpleasant, it was just disheartening. Here I thought we were in the middle of Ultron's battle and then poof, I'm here, but like I said earlier I'm not quite sure where here is. I kicked a pebble with the toe of my boot and watched as it skipped into the distance. Over the course of how long, I found out one thing. I'm still me, but I'm not myself. I know that sounds strange, but something feels off like I should be doing something or I have someplace to go, I just can't pinpoint what that is. "Hello!" I called again even though I never expected a response, it seems like I had been calling forever.

"Hello." It wasn't a human voice that responded, but a whisper in the tumbleweeds. Something so delicate and airy you wouldn't realize it was there unless you were listening. I did a sharp turn on my heel and scanned my surroundings, but everything looked the same. I would've brushed it off as insanity if the voice hadn't been so eerily familiar. "Hello," it went again. "Hello, hello, hello."

"Who's there?" I more pleaded than yelled.

"Hello, hello, hello," it continued. The greetings had come more rapid and felt like they were circling my head like a flock of birds. Each in it's own way a combination of what felt like taunting and mockery.

"Stop!" I screamed, placing my hands over my ears and squeezing my eyes shut. It needed to stop, I needed it to stop. The silence was less deafening than the piercing noise currently consuming my eardrums. Hello, hello, hello, hello, hello! But then as quickly as it started, it stopped, allowing the one single voice to come forth.

"Hi, Cici." Only one person has ever called me that, only one person was ever allowed to call me that. The little girl who had trouble pronouncing her L's way into her terrible two's. I slowly lowered my sweaty palms from ears and rose my head to properly look at the girl in front of me.

Her hair that was once a short, curly blonde blob had grown way past her shoulders to reveal waves that looked like honey dripping from a silver spoon. Her once chubby cheeks had thinned out to reveal her crystalline blue eyes that were only shaded by her long lashes, which I could now see perfectly because she was almost eye level. No, this girl still had the same freckled nose and the same chipped front tooth, but she was no longer my little mouse. She had turned into the young lady I had only dreamed she would be, and she was a spitting image of my mother.

My baby sister was all grown up.

"Mia?" I rasped, a little embarrassed by how choked up I had become just looking at her.

"Hey," she smiled, it was so wide that I could barely see those pretty blue eyes anymore.

"You've - you've grown up, you're tall and you don't have braces anymore and you're - beautiful," I stuttered. "You look just like Mom."

Her smile faded for a second, but she seemed to hold it for my sake. "You've grown up, too."

I sighed realizing I was either dead or dreaming, "No, I really haven't. I'm the same hard headed teenager with bad sense in decision making as I was back then." I let out a weak laugh and gestured towards her, "But you - I missed it, you missed it. You didn't get to grow up because I didn't save you. Mia, I'm so sorr-"

"What?" she furrowed her eyebrows and seemed pained by my apology. "Is that what you think? You didn't save me? You honestly don't remember?" I shook my head and her shoulders sagged, "Lucy you gave up everything for me. You're the reason why I'm still alive."

I took a cautious step towards her, "Mia, I know this isn't real, but please do not lie to me."

She crossed her arms and gave me a look that reminded me of Dad, "I'm not lying."

"Mia, you're dead. I killed you."  
"No, I'm alive. I go to high school, I have a home, I have a family, I have friends, I have a dog. The only thing that is dead is my old life." The slight jab at the end wasn't supposed to be cruel, but it did sting a lot. She was right, that part of us was and forever will be dead. I'll never have that normalcy again, but my excitement over having a sorta living, breathing Mia in front of me seemed to lessen that pain.

"You're - you're alright?" I almost cried. I didn't care that she had moved on, or whatever happened, I just cared that my baby sister was okay. I had begun to collapse to the dusty floor when she scooped me up into her arms and hugged me, and I clung so tight to her it was like my life depended on it.

"I'm alright, Cici," she soothed, running a hand along the back of my hair. "And it's time that you see that you're going to be alright, too."

* * *

"Nat?"

It's been seven days since Sokovia. One week or seven days or one hundred and sixty-eight hours or ten thousand and eighty minutes, whatever time you use to justify it, but the result is always the same. It's been seven days since Sokovia, and seven days with an unconscious, comatose Lucille Quinn Cooper. Natasha hadn't left Lucy's side the entirety of that week, and no one had dared to tell her to get some rest because the answer would always be the same. 'No.' Natasha didn't feel guilt for what happened, she knew Lucy was completely capable of taking care of herself, but what if she had made Lucy go to the Helicarrier. What if she stayed back? What if she wasn't so focused on getting Bruce on board, maybe - she had gone back and forth on so many small things that had happened, but she knew there was nothing she could've done. There was no way she could've predicted it.

No, nothing, but she did exactly what the doctors told her to do, and that was wait. So every morning she would get a warm washcloth and run it against her trainee's freckled cheeks. Every morning she would run a brush through the blonde hair that she had started to adjust to, she could only imagine the green it would bring out in her eyes. Every morning she would pull the thin hospital sheets up to Lucy's chin and softly sing little lullabies in her native tongue. She would do this all every day, and not once has Natasha left her side.

"Hmm?" she hummed as she slumped back into the awkward plastic covered chair. She glanced up from the girl and to the door to see Steve standing there. He had stayed back a few days to help with the clean up of Sokovia, but for the days he had been home he had avoided Lucy's hospital room at all costs.

Steve slowly walked into the room and leaned against the opposing wall. "How's she doing?" he whispered. If Natasha had cared enough to pay attention, she would've noticed that the entire time Steve had been in the room he didn't glance at the hospital bed once. Even if Natasha didn't feel guilty, it didn't mean Cap didn't.

Natasha reached forward and untwisted one of the insulin tubes that was draining into Lucy's left wrist. "She's been good. Her fever went down, although I'm not sure you could even say someone has a fever when their core can heat to the temperature of the sun," she smirked and looked up at him. "But she's good, it's been pretty quiet." Steve nodded and Nat began to chew the inside of her cheek, "Wanda stopped by earlier."

Steve shoved his hands into his pockets, "Really? That was kind of her."  
Nat snorted, "Yeah, real kind after she's the one who put her in here." Steve clenched his jaw as if he was going to speak up, but bit his tongue. "I know it was an accident, but Lucy was our responsibility, Steve." She reached across the bed and brushed her hand gently over Lucy's smooth skin. "And we failed her.

Steve went over and took a seat next to Nat, "She's gonna be fine." He wasn't quite sure if he was reassuring her or himself.

There was a long, awkward silence before Natasha spoke again, "How is everybody?"

Steve cleared his throat, "Well, there's still no eyes on Banner. Thor returned to Asgard to see if there was anything we could do for Cooper. Vision has taken up the responsibility of watching over Maximoff, Tony - well, let's just say Stark's duty nowadays seems to be emptying the liquor cabinet, and Barton went back home to check on his - family. ."

There was another long pause and Nat had taken the opportunity to pick up Lucy's hand. She was continuously tracing circles into the pale skin and analyzed every detail about it. She was wearing a deep red nail polish that had begun to chip towards the tip due to Lucy's nasty habit of biting her nails when she was nervous. Her pointer finger had a tan line where she wore her Claddagh ring when she wasn't fighting. The two hands holding a crowned heart were easily visible in the fine lined detail, it was supposed to represent friendship - and family. "Did you ever want a family?" she asked mildly, pretending there was no deeper meaning. "Like Clint's?" Natasha already knew the answer, Steve was America's golden boy. He probably wanted the white picket fence and the baked apple pie sitting on the kitchen table when he walked through the front door. That's what she assumed anyway, but she knew her partner well enough to know there's more to him that meets the eye, same went for her for that matter.

He shifted uncomfortably in the abnormally small chair next to her, and his first instinct was to look up at Lucy. Finally taking in her lifeless body hit him like a ton of bricks, and he almost forgot to breathe. No, he didn't have the life he dreamed of in the forties and he probably never will, but that didn't mean he didn't have a family. His voice came out quiet as if he had walked into the kitchen late at night for a bite to eat and was trying to not wake the sleeping teenager that passed out on the couch after staying up too late to watch her favorite movie. The problem was was that no matter what tone of voice he used, Lucy wasn't going to wake up. "I did - before the ice, but I feel like my view on family changed." Natasha raised an eyebrow and Steve continued, "You don't have to be related to be family, and the Avengers? That is my family, that's our home."

* * *

The next time I opened my eyes, I woke up to the sound of gunshots. Bang, bang, bang, bang! I immediately looked around my surroundings to figure out what the hell was going on, but all I was doing was sitting on the floor of a well furnished office. There were potted plants and a huge window overlooking some body of water and a obnoxious mahogany desk that sat right in front of it with picture frames scattered all over. I slowly picked myself up and grabbed one of the black frames before ducking back under. Maybe if I found out where I was or whose this was, I could find out what the hell was happening. I slowly turned the picture over to see my senior portrait staring right back at me. The brunette hair was softly swept to the side as I smiled brightly at the camera. So if this is me, that means - this is - this was my dad's office.

"Shit," I cursed, leaning back into the desk. "Shit, shit, shitty shit, shit." Here I was hugging my dead sister, and now I'm in the place where she died. Well, I thought she died, I really don't know what to believe anymore. My head was screwed up, man. As I tried to get all of my ducks in a row, someone began to open the door, and I bolted behind the desk.

"Get in," she hissed, shoving someone in front of her before locking the door behind her. The teen who was wearing denim shorts and white chucks, by what I could see, was pushing around a much younger girl, quite urgently I might add. "Mia, get in the closet." My heart stopped - Mia? My Mia? If that was the girl then that meant that that was me. I was watching myself live the worst day of my life.

"Cici, please, I don't wanna," Mia whined, she was afraid more than anything. Fear was dripping in her every word.

"Mia get in the closet," she - I - practically yelled. "Get in the closet and take this," I peered out to see a younger version of myself pull something out from the waistband of her shorts, the sight of the memory alone made me want to vomit. I was handing a twelve-year-old girl who still watched Disney Channel a .45 caliber handgun.

"No, Cici, I don't -"

"Look, Dad gave me this for emergencies and we're kinda in one right now," she pushed the gun into Mia's hands. "This is the safety right here, you click this on and off, it's on right now, but when you shoot it, make sure it's off." She wrapped her fingers around the barrel of the gun and Mia looked even more terrified. "This is the clip, I just stole a new one off the dead officer we passed in the hallway, so we should be good on bullets." She started pointing to various parts of the gun as Mia watched with a slack jaw, not knowing how her sister who screamed when there was a spider in the bathroom was remaining so calm. "This is the hammer, you pull this back when you're just about to pull the trigger, got it?" Mia stayed quiet as she stared at the deadly weapon in her hands and the other me got impatient, more frightened that her sister wasn't taking any of this in, and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Mia, I need to know you understand me, alright? It's just like firing the Wii remote at those ducks for that game you like. It's gonna be okay, we're just being precautious. You probably won't even have to use it." She pushed Mia so she was sitting in the closet and continued to lecture her as gunshots rained from outside the door. "Okay, so if anyone opens this door and doesn't knock three times, you shoot, okay? I don't care who they are, we can't trust anyone. You're going to stay in this thing no matter what, I don't care what you hear, I need you to be safe. Don't. Leave." Mia continued to wordlessly nod as silent tears streamed down her cheeks, and I watched with horror as I anticipated what would happen next. "If I don't come back before 3:30, you're gonna run like hell out of this place, and then you go to Megan's, okay?" She pulled out her cellphone from her back pocket and placed it into her childlike hand, "The password is 0504, and every phone number and address is in there." She pulled out her wallet next, "And here's some money for a bus ticket if it comes to it. Okay, I'm going to keep watch out in the office. I'll see you soon."

She gave Mia one last smile and kiss before tucking her behind the coats in the closet, "Cici?" she called silently, and I could see the tears streaming down my face as well.

"Yeah, baby girl?"

"Happy Birthday," she whispered. That's when the other me clutched her hand to her mouth to soften her sobs, and I watched, crying myself. That was the last birthday with my family.

After several moments, she wiped the tears from her cheeks and straightened up when she spoke, like the soldier she deemed herself to become at that moment in time. "Thanks, Mouse. Love you."

"I love you, too." That was the last conversation I had with my sister, and the other me seemed to know it too. She was protecting Mia from something and the loud banging on the door that ensued seemed to be what. Lucy quickly shut the door and walked over to the desk and leaned on it as the banging continued to get louder, her only weapon of defence had been given to the tween in the closet.

"Open up!" he yelled, but Lucy just sat there chewing her nails. "Open the goddamn door!" Lucy just waited and waited as the shouts became louder and louder and the lock finally broke. A tall military man with short black hair rushed in and grabbed Lucy's hair by the fistful and she did all she could to stifle her scream, "Do you not hear me when I call for you?" he growled.

"Sorry," she spat, "It was a little hard to hear over the gunshots." The sarcastic spat seemed to anger the man and he just yanked harder on her hair. "What do you want?" she groaned as her temples became white from the pressure.

"You and your sister, now, where is she?"

"With my parents," she lied.

He snorted, "Considering I just snapped their necks, that's unlikely." Lucy seemed to have already known this or she was trying really hard not to let this guy know. "Now, where's the brat?"

"Why do you need us anyway?" she panted. The man hadn't let go of her hair since he walked in, "We're just kids."  
"You're legacies. Your DNA is fit for HYDRA's secret weapon."

"What are you talking about?" she grunted. "Legacies of what?"

"Your sweet old granny was the sister to one of the world's greatest assassins. One of the world's first super soldiers, and it was shown that it might be a little easier to make weapons when they're younger." He pulled out a needle from his back pocket, "Less resistance."

She snorted, "My granny was born in freaking Brooklyn and died in a car accident, how was she or her brother ever part of some freaking Nazi organization?"

"Whoever said it was by choice?" he laughed. "Or that her death was an accident? Now, get your sister and we're leaving."  
"Go to hell." He started to drag the needle over the skin of her neck and I had to watch as everything started to fall into place. Everything started to all make sense. My granny's brother was the Winter Soldier. That's who it had to be, right? Brooklyn, HYDRA, super soldier? James Buchanan Barnes was Becca's big brother. She may have changed her last name, but I have no doubt that's who he was talking about. How was I so stupid as to not figure it out until now?

"We were supposed to wait to start the experiments until later, but I can always make an exception if the patient is being testy. Especially, when she won't give up the location of our other prodigy." He rolled the creepy blue liquid between his fingers and smiled, "There's so many new adjustments that I don't even know what they'll do."

"Do it," I spat, slightly, well extremely pink in the face. "I'll never tell you where she is."

Someone slightly shorter barged into the room, he was another HYDRA agent, but seemingly a lesser rank than the tall man. "Rumlow, sir, the helicopter is on the top deck. We need to evacuate, sir." Rumlow just shot him a nod, so he scurried off on his way.

"Fine." He jabbed the needle into her neck and she finally cried out in pain. "You tested my patience too long. You and your little shit of a sister could be as good as dead for all I care. We'll find someone else." He threw Lucy to the floor as soon as the last drop of the serum drained into her blood and ran out the door leaving the whole situation seemingly pointless as he obviously did not care that he orphaned the two girls. I so badly wanted to reach out and help her as the girl squirmed on the floor clutching her neck. Her veins seemed to glow under her skin and her screams to get more painful the more time that went by, but there was nothing I could do.

The serum had already begun.

After what felt like hours passed, she slowly but surely hiked herself up and stumbled towards the door to closet. "Mia," she called. "You need to go, I can't hold it for much longer." Mia quickly opened the door and looked out at her half dead sister. "Mia - go." And then, when her sister failed to move, a small, petite girl ran and single handedly jumped through the bulletproof window and exploded right outside the office. Saving her little sister but ruining her memory of her.

* * *

Steve woke up to screaming.

Not his, not Natasha's, not even the nurses or doctors.

The noise was white hot.

The type that pierces through the veil and feels like needles are stabbed into your eardrums.

The type that brings you to tears because it is so unrecognizable and inhuman that it makes you horrified of where it came from.

The type that makes your hairs stand up on the back of your neck and your breathing go rapid.

The type of noise you would never expect to rip through the vocal cords of a nineteen-year-old girl.

But it was her scream.

He had stayed out in the hallway after Natasha had nodded off again in the room. There was part of him that was on edge of his seat and wanted to leave the hospital the first second he got, and there was part of him that never wanted to leave her side, so the waiting room was a compromise. But as soon as her heard that indescribable noise, he busted through the doors of her room to find Natasha pinned to the wall and Lucy fast asleep other than the pain etched into her features and having her mouth so wide from screaming it looked like her jaw might break off from its hinges. But her eyes were closed, and she was still asleep.

"What the hell happened?" Steve shouted over the girl, not knowing which one to help first. He started to make his way towards Natasha who was almost glued to the wall, but she urged him to stop.

"Don't come any closer," she ordered, trying to peel her face away from the wall. "Some energy exploded out of her, and now I'm pinned to the wall."

Steve looked incredulous, "Is that why she's screaming?"

Natasha shrugged with the little movement in her shoulders she had, "Don't look at me, I have no idea."

Then, when Steve tried to impose the force field that had encircled his teammate, so strong that it felt like he was missing the sight of something, it dropped. The pure energy dissipated into nothing, and Lucy stopped screaming and continued her comatose state. Nat dropped to the floor and Steve fell face forwards, both left wonder what the hell had actually happened.

* * *

"You're back," I huffed, still extremely shaken and mildly crying, but overall, just happy to see her face.

She smirked and sashayed her way next to me and sat on the bench. We were sitting in front of my house, well, my old house. It currently had two young tenants living in it who were expecting a baby boy according to Nat. She made sure the home went to someone who could hold up the Cooper Cottage to all its unknown potential. "Did you ever think I'd leave?" she mumbled, partly hurt by my insinuation.

"Well," I drawled. "I wouldn't hold it against you." I was partly glad she didn't relive any of that with me, the guts, the gore, the anger. She still was just a kid, well, I was too but that's beside the point. "So this is it, huh? Is it time to wake up? Did I learn everything I needed to know?"

"Yeah," she sighed. "But I want you to know a few things, and I want there to be no interruptions or no Lucy cracks." I was about to cut her off, but she ignored me. "I really am okay, Lucy. I moved in with Megan, like you told me to, and Ms. Cathy took me in and I go to school in Peachtree City, Georgia. I changed my last name awhile back, but especially since you've been in the news so much lately -"

"Wait - I'm in the news?"

She snorted, "Avenger in a coma and you don't think that the news is gonna notice?"

My expression dropped, "I'm in a coma?" Part of me knew, part of me thought it was just a really twisted dream, and then a tiny part of me wished I was dead and went to heaven. "How long?"

"Over seven days."

I slowly nodded again, winding my finger around my mother's necklace, and tried to focus on what she was saying and not myself. "What'd you change your name to?" I nearly choked out.

"Mia Smith. So if maybe someday you can come see me, forreal, then you look me up, okay?" she smiled, nudging my shoulder. "I know you're okay, and that you're gonna be okay, and now you know the same about me." She stood up from the dusty white bench on the front porch and brushed off her ripped jeans. "I'll see you soon, Cici," she waved and then she was gone.

I followed next and stood slowly, looked at the house one more time, and left too.

* * *

I woke up that day.

There was nothing special about it. I woke up, gagging on the breathing tubes they shoved down my throat after my little episode. Natasha ran and got the doctors while Steve tried to convince me to calm down as I choked with the silent tears running down my cheeks. That was how it happened. Utterly humiliating and unspecial. All I did was open my eyes.

That's when the doctors began to file through and check my vitals and explain to me that I was 'lucky to be alive.' I didn't feel lucky, I felt weird. Everything that I learned, everything that I now knew, the burden lifted off my shoulders, and I honestly had no idea what to do with the information. I waited silently for all the doctors to leave, so Natasha and Steve could explain to me the extent of my 'injuries' and for me to fill them in as well.

"The super soldier serum is supposed to be activated by an energy source, and from what you told me, you didn't get that opportunity. Wanda's powers helped fix what Rumlow did back in D.C., ultimately restoring your DNA," Steve explained to me in a monotone voice. I nodded quietly while peeling the threads from my blanket, not wanting to reveal yet that his best friend was my great uncle.

Natasha had been scanning through a stack of papers she had fetched earlier and seemed to be astonished by its contents. "According to Helen Cho, your energy burst was an evolved version of your powers."  
"So I'm not Pyro anymore?"

She smirked, "No, you can still fire-voodoo, but the heat that is generated from your core can also harnas energy allowing you to use an invisible force and not be the Burning Man while flying." I gave her a look as if how did she figure all this out in the two hours I've been awake and she seemed to read my mind. "I sent her your blood work earlier to see if she could figure out what was going on."

"Oh."

"So your sister really is alive, huh?"

"Yeah," I grabbed the spoon from the tray next to me and idled at my obscured reflection. "I wonder if she'll even recognize me."

* * *

-Peachtree City, Georgia-

"Mia?"

The girl with curly blonde bedhead seemed to tousle in her sheets before finally raising her head to look out the door. "Mm?"

"What's wrong?" the girl whispered as she sat on the comforter with her. "You were talking in your sleep."

Mia reached up and rubbed the tired out of her eyes and yawned, "Just a weird dream."

"What was it about?"

Mia stared at Megan long and hard before the next words passed her lips. "Lucy."

* * *

-One week later in Avengers' Tower-

The girl that Natasha trained was a spunky eighteen-year-old with long brunette locks that curled in every which way, but she never seemed to mind. She would throw them up into a ponytail or just leave them spilling crazily over her shoulders. The girl that Nat met at the S.H.I.E.L.D. training base a year or so ago in no way possessed the obsession over her looks as the one she saw now. No, Lucy was never vain, she was beautiful despite her disbelief. Her tanned skin that was sprinkled with delicate freckles made her dazzling emerald eyes shine bright, and her lean figure was what most girls craved at her age. No, she never cared about her looks because she never needed to, and that's the type of mindset that even the Black Widow herself envied.

But when Natasha walked into the once porcelain bathroom that was now stained with various shades of brown hair dye, she was beside herself. Lucille Quinn lay in a heaping mess on the floor with her white tank top streaked with hair coloring and her platinum hair clung to her cheeks by her own tears. The once confident, vibrant girl was almost unrecognizable to her mentor.

"I'm sorry," she sputtered through her heavy breaths, "I'll clean it up, I just -"

Natasha, although momentarily stunned, which is saying something for the agent, quickly regained her composure. "What exactly are you trying to accomplish?" she breathed as she picked up an untarnished washcloth from across the room.

Lucy sighed, guiltily placing her face into the palms of her hands, "I just wanted to be me again."  
Natasha turned on the faucet allowing the cool water to soak the fluffy towel. "You're still you, nothing can take that away." When Natasha turned around next, she noticed the teenager was caressing something by her side. After closer examination, she realized it was a photo of her parents, her sister, and the girl that was sitting in front of her except with a darker head of hair.

"I tried everything," she sobbed. "But nothing will even make a dent. Everything I try to dye won't even stick to the freaking hair." She let out a frustrated grunt, "I just wanted to look the way I did when they knew me."

Natasha kneeled next to the girl and ran the towel over her burning cheeks. "But you're not that same girl, you're still you, just not the same one they knew a few years ago."

Lucy unintentionally leaned into the Avenger's touch, "I know," she mumbled. "I just thought after everything, I still always looked the same. Now, I don't even have that."

Natasha shrugged, "Well, you still look the same, just a new hairstyle." She pulled her hand away and leaned against the wall with her spy-in-training. "And eat the same, and act the same, and laugh the same, and sound the same, and smell the same -"

Lucy snorted, "Okay! Okay, I get it."

"You may not be the same, but you're pretty damn close to it." She gently brushed the blonde fringe out of the girl's eyes, "And a head of hair definitely won't be a deciding factor of that." She picked up a stray piece and twirled it between her fingers, "So, it won't dye, huh?" The girl just shook her head, "Wanna see if it'll cut?"

Lucy raised an eyebrow, that for some reason remained the usual dark brown, "You want to cut my hair?"

Nat shrugged, "Hey, if you are already getting a new hairdo might as well go all in." She looked the teenager up and down and smirked, "Besides, all that hair is not very helpful in aerodynamics."

Lucy glanced down at herself noticing that majority of the strands went far past her rib cage, "You sure you know what you're doing?" One look and Lucy knew she shouldn't second guess the woman, "Fine," she caved. Natasha gave a giddy grin before crossing the bathroom and rummaging through the drawers while Lucy reluctantly sat on the edge of the bathtub and awaited her fate.

When Natasha finally found the scissors and enthusiastically snipped away at all of P's hair, the whole getup lasted for well over an hour. There was a snip here, and a cut there, even a trim, well, everywhere. In the end, Cooper no longer looked like the mild mannered girl with a slight temper, but like the hero she had become. Her pelo now was an edgy platinum blonde bob that cut off at her shoulder blades and complimented the angle of her jaw. She looked the part she had been known to play, and it boosted the girl's spirits even if it was in the slightest.

Natasha ran her fingers through the cropped hair and smiled, "You look like a badass."

"Cap doesn't like that sorta language," Lucy quipped, but the slight jab lightened Nat's heart, she had begun to act like her normal self. "But yeah - " she continued, revealing a small smile on her delicate lips, "I do look like a badass."


	13. Chapter 13

Guys. I'm so sorry I suck. I'm a freshman in college and I'm a mechanical engineering major, so that basically means you get no free time. Ever. So here is the chapter that has taken me way too long to write, but its sorta a transition between AoU and Civil War. I hope you enjoy it! Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Much love,

freedomintensifies

* * *

There was a girl that would walk into a local pub on Tuesday nights. It was a little after five, so the sun had just begun to dip below the skylines, but the air in the joint was still warm and wonderous with the wisps of sunshine that had yet to fade away. The girl would go sit at the end of the bar, two seats from the left to be exact, and order only one thing on the menu. She wasn't unwealthy, but that was not the reason she kept her drinks so minimal. To be honest, she didn't drink because there was no purpose. No matter how many drinks she had, she could not get drunk, but boy, did she try. No, instead, she would sit at the grimy old bar with peanut shells crunching under her boots and her hands sticking to the wooden ledge from a spilt beer and order that one thing.

Whiskey. Neat.

She would then sit there, undisturbed, until the sun would set with her slightly chipped glass within arms reach, and as soon as the last rays of the fiery globe dissipated, she would pay the tab, stand up, and walk out. Drink untouched.

She did this every Tuesday for the past three months, except this one was different. The autumn air had just started to ripen as the girl pulled her worn denim jacket closer to her body. The teenager was not the best at choosing weather appropriate clothing beings she didn't really have to, but with only wearing some skimpy band t-shirt that had too many holes to count and a pair of thin, black skinny jeans, she decided it was best to look the part. College dropout with daddy issues was a lot easier to explain than a semi-employed teenager who gets kudos for deep frying bad guys, although she hadn't really been doing much of that anymore.

Lucy tilted the glass to watch the caramel liquid twinkle in the daylight. _Dad always said her eyes looked like sunshine through a glass of whiskey._ The sentiment was almost sobering in the sense that no matter how much of her life went off the rails, she still had the little things.

" _Baby, don't be sad."_

 _The small child had woken up from her nightmare hysterically from the fact that the one to help her fight the terrors away was not in fact her father, but her mother. She finally looked up into the woman's warm, kind eyes and melted a bit. All her previous concerns seemed to dissipate as she stared at her; she was all that mattered at that moment. The contessa with golden hair and whiskey eyes. "Don't be sad, Lou. Daddy is gonna come home soon. You'll see, he's gonna come home and sweep your little self into his big arms and give you a bear hug until you can't remember that he ever left." She continued to look at her mother in hopes that she would give her more concrete information than just the fact that one day he would return. When was that going to be? When was 'one day'? He'd been gone for months now, and they didn't get as much as a phone call or even a letter._

" _Your daddy is a brave man. He's off protecting our country. He's protecting you," she whispered, gently poking the five-year-old's belly. The little girl didn't seem to care what he was doing, all she cared about was if he would come home. Safe. Soon. To be with her. Her mother sighed and gently cradled her cheek wiping away her stray tears, "Here," she said. She removed her hand to reach for the clasp at the back of her neck to remove a small locket. "I want you to hold onto this for me." The girl stared as her mother gently dropped the dainty necklace into her chubby hands. The silver pool of chains glittered in the moonlight like an undisturbed lake. "Your daddy gave this to me when we got married. There's a picture of me and daddy and even a little you." She smiled and took the locket from her hands and clasped it around her neck. "Keep this until Daddy gets back, that way, while he's gone he'll always be close to your heart." She nudged her daughter's shoulder to get her attention as she seemed to be hypnotized by the sterling circle resting on her chest, "Do you hear me?"_

"Do you hear me?"

Lucy slowly glanced up at the man towering over her. To be honest, she hadn't heard him. She was too fixated on memories to acknowledge the present. That's how she went about most of her days now; mourning her parents. Mourning the fact that she knew for now she couldn't see her sister because like she always had, she has to protect her, even if that meant protecting her from herself. And even mourning Lucy Cooper. The fact that she had been thrown into the Avengers so quickly didn't give her the chance before, but she was gonna take as much damn time as she needed now. Lucy scrunched her nose as she got a whiff of the guys breath, it was foul from the amount of liquor that had passed through his lips. "I said, do you hear me?" The man repeated, this time with a little more annoyance in his voice and his beer gut and unshaven face moving closer to her.

He slowly lifted a strand of silver hair and grimaced when he analyzed it, "What is this shit? You dump a tub of bleach on yourself or somethin'?" In response, she simply grit her teeth and faced forward. Ignoring him. _Just another drunk. He'll move on eventually_ , she reminded herself. She wasn't planning on getting into a fight because she knew it would be pathetic, and she didn't feel like drawing a crowd. "Hey, bitch," he growled. "Are you deaf?" Lucy kept facing forward with her hand gingerly on her drink until he grabbed her arm and forced her to face him. "Look at me while I'm talking to you," he spat.

She raised an eyebrow at the man, "Yep, I'm deaf, that's the only possible explanation as to why I am ignoring you right now." She saw the bartender from across the counter smirk, but he continued to mind his own business as if the young girl wasn't being threatened in his bar.

"Look, if you wanna be a smart ass that's fine, but remember your place in this world." With that, he stood, and in default so did she.

"My place?" she almost growled. "That's real rich coming from a guy hitting on a girl half his age. I was minding my own goddamn business when you come over and start making crude comments at _me._ Sorry if I finally responded to defend myself, I should know better and stay in line. Women should _never_ put down or ignore unwanted comments, how ever can I live with myself?" _Way to keep a low profile_.

She crossed her arms, waiting for his dispute, but the man seemed stunned for a couple of seconds. Cold, hard facts can do that to someone. Then with the grit of his teeth, he raised his hand to slap her clean across the face, but she caught it before he could do any damage. "Violence?" she scoffed. "That's it, solve your case with abuse. How could you possibly be sitting here in a bar late afternoon on a Tuesday getting drunk off your ass when you have so many wonderful things to contribute to society?" He tried to pull his hand away with fear, but she tightened her grip. Tighter and tighter and tighter until she heard the first bone pop. He screeched and wretched his hand back, but she kept hold, squeezing tighter and tighter. Pop, pop, pop. "I want you to remember this the next time you try to harass an innocent girl," she hissed with a locked jaw and a deadly glare. He screamed at the top of his lungs for mercy and as his hand went limp, she dropped it and went to sat back down on the bar stool, and the man stood silent for a while, silent tears streaming down his face. The bar had become so quiet that you could hear a pin drop from across the room, all of them trying to comprehend how such a young woman could contain so much anger and hate.

She ignored the audience and reached for her glass and looked at the amber liquid one last time, "Unfortunately for you, I am not so innocent." With that she downed her drink in one gulp, stood up, slammed her fist into the guy's nose causing him to collapse to the tacky floor, and left. All eyes still pinned on her.

* * *

The doors slammed behind me as I walked out of the bar. It was what - a little after eight - in New York? That's basically early morning here. The streets were still swarming with a combination of clueless tourists and pissed off locals, but the noise only helped me drown out my thoughts. I began the trek home, more like the place I crash, when I felt someone's calloused hand grab my jean clad shoulder. _If it's that goddamn drunk, this time I'll barbeque his ass._ I whipped around, causing his hand to be flung from me, and then wrapped my fingers around the creeper's neck before slamming him against the concrete building.

"What?" I growled, panting from the adrenaline. My teeth were bared and my face was burning hot, but none of that hid the familiar warm eyes staring back at me. They seemed as shocked to see me this way as I was just to see him in general. "Stark?" I asked in almost disbelief, I was so consumed in joy in those two weak seconds that I almost forgot everything that happened. "What the hell do you want?" I passively asked, dropping my arms to my side and allowing him to catch his breath. After Sokovia, I did what I did best, I bailed. I don't know if it was the constant publicity or having my face plastered onto every news network ever saying I was a destructive teenager rather than a valid team member or even just the whole team dynamic being off, but I left. I slept in abandoned houses, rooftops, and even crashed at Sam's a couple of times, but I haven't been back in that tower for months now and I don't know if I'll ever return.

Tony sighed and dropped his hand to his side, "Look, Lucy, I know everything that has happened has been -"

I rolled my eyes and took a small step back, "It's Dany."

He scrunched his eyebrows together and made a very judgemental face, "Danny? What you changed your name to the ghost kid on Nickelodeon."

"No," I almost whined. "No, Dany as in Daenerys Targaryen. The Mother of Dragons. The woman who emerged from the flames unscathed, sound familiar?."

Tony smiled, almost as if he was seeing an old friend again, seeing the old side of me. The one that still believed in fairytales, even ones as dark as Game of Thrones. "Well, Khalesi, you change your name because you're a big, bad adult now? Is that why you went off on this little adventure?"

"No," I started and choked on the bile that had begun to risen in my throat. "No - you see Lucy died when the public found out about her. Lucy died when instead of being an agent in the field with a codename and an identity to keep to herself, she became a public figure. Some say hero others say national terrorist. The girl who wreaks havoc upon the world and blows up buildings to make them fall on innocent bystanders. Dany is nobody. I am nobody and that's how I would like to keep it, even if that means forever being on 'this little adventure.'" I gave him one last look before turning around and heading down a long, empty alleyway.

Part of me hoped he would call out and beg me to stay. Part of me was screaming about how stupid I was and how I should grow up. Why did it matter that everyone knew who I was? I mean, I was in that bar and nobody even noticed me. I was overreacting. I always overact. God, Tony, just tell me to stay - "Lucy isn't dead." I stopped in my tracks but didn't turn around. I just listened. "Lucy isn't dead, and just because you don't like the life given to you too freaking bad. Lucy isn't dead because I see her right in front of me, living and breathing. Maybe her old life is over, but she's adjusted before and she can do it again. The Lucy I know is strong and even when life gives her shit, she fights back. She doesn't go around sulking and complaining and letting the bad guys get the upperhand, and you're making a mockery of her life if you keep lulling around like you're doing right now."

Part of me wanted to scream I wouldn't be in this mess if it wasn't for him. If it wasn't for Ultron or the twins or HYDRA. Part of me wanted to scream that everything that happened wasn't my fault. I was just caught in the middle, but I can't go around in life blaming everyone except myself. I added to the destruction, the demise of my old self. I let everything consume me when I should've fought back. I'm going to fight back. I slowly turned around to face him, both of his hands were clenched and his chest kept rapidly rising and falling, but it wasn't out of anger, it was out of me not understanding. No matter what happens, you're not supposed to lose sight of who you are. You're not supposed to give up because you're not the person you want to be, you're supposed to evolve. Become better.

"You're right."

This seemed to take him back a bit. In my entire existence, I don't think I ever admitted someone else was right and I was wrong. And here I was, standing in a dark alleyway with silver locks blowing into my face, looking Iron Man straight in the eyes telling him just that. The tension seemed to roll of his shoulders and he gave me an infamous Tony Stark smirk, "Yeah?"

I nodded, "You're right. She's not dead, but she's not the same girl she used to be. She's not Pyro. She's not that kind of superhero anymore."

"Then who is she?"

I looked down at my feet to see a slight reflection of myself in the murky puddle water. There was a girl staring back at me with wild eyes and even wilder hair. She looked back at me with not as much fire in her soul as when she first took the job. She seemed to be more tamed despite still fighting for everything she believed in. She was no longer a raging fire, she was more of just the beginning where the burning wood had just begun to ignite. Something delicate and fierce and beautiful all on its own. Something like - "The Wisp."


End file.
